The sun shone its cupper light on the mountain ridge. The day was coming to an end and Xena looked at the setting sun. Its warmth embraced her body and she sighed blissfully. Until she heard the impatient voice of her soulmate. "Okay, you have enjoyed the scenery long enough now. Time to go down, Xena." The warrior princess raised an eyebrow. "Again?" and she started to unbuckle her breastplate.

But Gabrielle folded her arms and said severely: "As in climbing down the mountain! I need those herbs!"

Xena mopingly put the breastplate back in its place. "So? What's that got to do with me?"

Gabrielle pointed her finger at her and grumbled: "You threw them over the cliff!"

"Can you blame me? It looked like something the horses threw up!"

The bard buried her face in her hands and mumbled: "Really Xena, you are so ignorant when it comes down to the fine art of cooking. That was coriander!"

Xena shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever. I'm not going to risk my life for a bunch of leafs. Let's just use parsley. That's green too, right?"

Gabrielle looked at her in utter amazement. "The sad thing is, you're not even joking." She shook her head, pushed Xena aside and kneeled down by the ridge.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Gabrielle carefully placed her foot over the ridge. "What does it look like? I'm going to collect my herbs."

"No, you're not." Xena grabbed the bard by her skirt and pulled her up.

"Hey, stop that! I'm as good a climber as you are."

"I know. But I'm not taking any chances. Not for a stupid reason like this one." The warrior princess looked over the ridge to mark the position of the coriander and with a perfect lash of her whip she caught the bunch. It landed right in front of Gabrielle's feet. "Happy now?"

The bard examined the coriander, muttered "you missed a few branches" and walked off.



A moment later Xena's whip had wrapped itself around Gabrielle's waist and arms. "Untie me," the bard moaned as she turned around.

But Xena threw her an amused look and pulled her closer. "I don't think so. You see, I expected a bit more gratitude than what you just showed me."

Gabrielle smiled. "Well, you don't always get what you want."

Xena gave the whip a jerk and Gabrielle stumbled a yard closer. "There's where you are wrong," the warrior replied with a sultry voice as she towered above her. "I always get what I want."

Gabrielle tried not to look into the piercing blue eyes and answered sulkily: "Okay. Thank you. There! I said it. Now, let me go."

"Not good enough."

The bard drew in a long breath. Then she said with venom in her voice: "Thank you, oh divine patroness of fine herbs. I will never forget this unselfish deed and will forever praise you for it. Now if the great savior of spices would be so kind to let me go?"

A malicious smile appeared on Xena's face. She gave the whip a jerk so that the bard fell right into her arms. Xena looked down on her and said: "Say it like you mean it."

The bard bulged her cheek with her tongue and replied slowly: "Alright." She looked up into Xena's light blue eyes and whispered: "The way you handle that whip gives me shivers and your arrogant look makes me weak in the knees. Let me go and I'll show you gratitude."

Xena held her breath and tilted her head to kiss the bard. But Gabrielle muttered: "Untie me first."

With reluctance Xena withdrew her lips. It only took a twirl of the whip and Gabrielle's body was freed. Before Xena could kiss her, the bard put her finger on the warrior's lips and whispered: "Close your eyes. I wanna do this my way."

Hesitatingly Xena did what she was asked. Gabrielle kissed her throat and slowly moved up. Very slowly. She heard a lustful moan and through her lashes she saw how Xena's soft lips parted... Without giving it another thought Gabrielle stuffed the coriander in Xena's mouth. "Tell me Xena, does this taste anything like parsley?"



Xena's eyes flashed open while she spit the herbs out. For a few seconds the warrior looked like she could explode. But then she slowly in- and exhaled and moved her hands like a yoga master. "I'm calm. I can do this. I can let this pass."

The bard gave her a cautious look and backed away just the same. Which was wise, because all of a sudden Xena burst out: "Who am I kidding? I'm going to kick your butt!"

Gabrielle ran off, but it wasn't long before Xena had worked her to the ground. While she held the bard's wrists in an iron grip, she looked into Gabrielle's green eyes and smirked: "I'm afraid I have to torture you." And she smilingly placed her knees on the bard's upper arms.

"For the love of Zeus, not the crusher!" Gabrielle said with begging eyes. Xena's eyes seductively roamed her friend's body. "Well, I could show you mercy... That is, if you're nice."

Xena didn't wait for an answer and brought her lips to Gabrielle's mouth.

"I hate to interrupt you," the bard mumbled against her mouth, "but there's a bit of coriander sticking between your teeth."

Xena flashed her eyebrows up and down. "Good... There's gotta be some punishment in your verdict."

And she kissed her again.

"You're so gross!" the bard panted when Xena's lips left her mouth in order to nibble on her earlobe.

"Yeah, just the way you like me."



They had traveled all day long when they arrived at a small village. Soon they found the local inn and managed to get a table. While Gabrielle plopped down, Xena said: "I'm gonna ask the innkeeper if he knows anything about Eve."

"Good idea," Gabrielle said. "And while you're at it, ask if he's got any food. I'm starving."

Xena rolled her eyes and walked over to the bar. When the innkeeper noticed the warrior he gave her an unfriendly nod. Xena ignored his unwelcome gesture and said: "Do you have something to eat?"

The bartender answered wryly: "Nothing fancy. I've got lamb stew and vegetable soup. That's it."

"The stew sounds good to me."

"I'll heat it up for you," the bold headed man replied: "Anything else?"

Xena came a bit closer and said: "I'm looking for this woman. Maybe you've heard of her..."

The innkeeper raised his hand and answered: "For the last time: I haven't seen her, I don't know where she went and to be honest: I don't give a damn!"

Xena frowned. "I haven't even mentioned her name!"

The bartender gave her a distrustful look. "You're not exactly the first bounty hunter who payed me a visit, so cut the crap. I know you're after the gladiatrix."

Xena answered coolly: "I'm not looking for a gladiatrix, I'm trying to find my daughter. Her name is Eve."

The man embarrassedly scratched his bold head and stammered: "Oh... I thought... Well, you kinda look like a bounty hunter. Wearing all that armor and stuff. Sorry."

Xena waved it aside. "About my daughter... Heard anything about her or the cult of Eli?"

As the bartender cleaned a jar he muttered: "The Cult of Eli? Yeah, but that was a long time ago. Some of the villagers followed them to... was it east? Yeah, I think they went east. Can't say I was too happy with it. I don't like to lose customers."

Xena was about to walk back to their table when she changed her mind. "Just out of curiosity. Who is this gladiatrix?"

The innkeeper sighed: "A real beauty, but a bit too rough for my liking. They call her the Queen of Batavia."

Xena gave him a curious look and whispered: "Batavia?"

"Yeah, they say it lies somewhere between Gaul and the land of the Vikings. I saw her fight one time and she was just amazing. She slay five men with no trouble at all. Kinda strange when you think of it. I mean, with skills like that you think she would have escaped years ago." He spit on the jar and rubbed it dry. "Anyway, general Claudius, who owns her, wants her back. He offers 10.000 dinars!"

Xena whistled. "That's a lot of money."

"It's not enough if it means getting killed. And besides, I hope they never find her. Serves that arrogant Roman bastard right. But..." and he winked at her, "you didn't hear that from me."

Xena smiled and walked back to their table.



"And?"

Xena answered weary: "Nothing we didn't know yet."

The bard peered at the bartender and looked puzzled. "Then what were you talking about?"

Xena put her sword on the table and muttered: "Something about an escaped slave on the run. He thought we were bounty hunters."

Gabrielle frowned while she examined her clothes. "Bounty hunters? By the gods, I really have to work on my looks."

A moment later the innkeeper arrived with two steamy bowls. "There you go. Oh, I thought you might be interested in this," and he lay a piece of paper on the table. "Let's hope you don't bump into her. Believe me, you don't want to get in her way."

Gabrielle took the flyer and read it aloud: "Wanted: the gladiatrix Anna, also known as Queen of Batavia."

Xena suddenly dropped her spoon and said: "Give me that!"

When a startled Gabrielle gave her the piece of paper, Xena looked at it for seconds without batting an eye. But her expression grew dark.

Finally Gabrielle whispered: "What's wrong? Do you know her?" Xena was silent for a while, but then she said absent-mindedly: "Yes, I do."

The bard waited for more to come, but Xena stared at the picture as if she was miles away. It wasn't until Gabrielle touched her hand, that Xena seemed to wake up from her thoughts. "Gabrielle, I need to find her. I can't explain now, but..."

"When do we leave?" the bard interrupted.

For a short moment a smile brightened up Xena's face, but then her blue eyes narrowed and she said severely: "First thing in the morning. I think she went home."



That night they lay in the dry hay. Gabrielle ran her fingers through Xena's black hair, while inhaling the sensuous scent of her neck. "Tell me about her," she whispered. "Should I be jealous?"

Xena faintly smiled. "She was about eight when I met her. Does that answer your question?"

Gabrielle blushed and mumbled: "Ehm... sort of." She propped herself up on an elbow. "So, you met her in Batavia?"

There was a remoteness about her as Xena stared into the darkness. "I had just left Denmark. When Grunnehilde took the rhinegold from me I lost interest in Odin's quarters. So I went south. For days I traveled through dense woods and big swamps. There was this constant rain and I couldn't find any dry wood to warm up. It was so cold..."

A shiver ran down her spine, but she soon recovered and carried on. "I got sick. I got weaker and weaker, and at one point I must have fallen from my horse. Next thing I remember was this blonde child leaning over me, taking care of me."

Her voice choked and Gabrielle wanted to lay her arm around Xena, but the warrior stopped her. "Don't. Not until you know everything."

The bard gave her a questioning look, but found no answers in Xena's eyes. And so Gabrielle waited for Xena to continue. "She gave me something terrible to drink, and the fever slowly died away. In a few days I was up on my feet again. Since I had seen no one else in the hut, I asked her where her parents were. At first she didn't understand me. She only knew a few words of latin. But finally I understood that they were dead. Murdered by the Romans."

"Didn't she have any brothers or sisters?"

"She had no one. Anna take care of self, that's what she said."

Xena smiled recalling the moment. But her smile died away when Gabrielle whispered: "I can see why you want to help her. She saved you."

Xena gnashed her teeth and dared not to look at the bard. "I'm forever in her debt, Gabrielle. You see, when I left... I took her with me."

"To take care of her?"

"No. I sold her."



Gabrielle couldn't believe what she had just heard. "You what?"

Xena's eyes were filled with guilt. "I told her we would go for a ride, but I brought her straight to the Romans. I knew they would pay well for a fair girl."

Gabrielle looked at her in total shock. "How could you? She was only a child!"

"I needed the money. That was the only thing I cared for in those days."

Gabrielle shook her head and whispered: "I know what you were like, but a child... Even the old Xena must have had some feelings."

"I didn't allow myself to have feelings. Couldn't afford it."

"But she was only eight! Imagine the fear she must have felt. Who knows what they did to her!"

Xena's eyes burned as she growled: "Do you really think that question never haunted me? Gabrielle, my heart aches when I think about what I have done to her. But back then... I used people, they meant nothing to me. I just cashed the money and left. I never looked back once."

The bard closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "Why have you never told me this before?"

"You know what my biggest fear is? That one day you'll realize that my sins are bigger than your heart." Xena hardly dared to look at her. "You can't forgive me forever, Gabrielle. Not even you."

Gabrielle took Xena's face into her small hands. "Yes, I can. And you know why? Because I love the woman you are today. The past can't change that. I won't let it. But this is not about me, Xena. It's not for me to forgive you."

Xena shook off a tear before it had reached her cheek. "I know. But Anna never will."



Next morning they rode off. The sun had barely risen and the village was still sound asleep. When they reached a three forked road, Xena took the southern path. Gabrielle pulled her horse to a stop and said: "Aren't we supposed to go north? I thought you believed she went back to Batavia?"

Xena turned her horse and said: "I still do. But the Romans control the mainland. They have posts everywhere. She has a much better chance if she travels by ship."

"What if she's not that smart?"

"She survived more than 25 years of enslavement - she's smart enough."

The bard looked down south and said: "Guess I better start searching for those pressure points again. What harbor are we heading for?"

Xena smiled and caressed Gabrielle's cheek. "Paphlos. But we're going to pay general Claudius a visit first. I wanna know why she left."

Gabrielle frowned. "Isn't that obvious? She wanted her freedom back."

Xena shook her head. "No, that bartender was right... If she's that good a fighter she could have fled a long time ago."

The bard looked at her friend sharply. "You think Claudius is going to tell you the truth?"

Xena's jaws flexed as she peered at the horizon and answered: "Oh yes."



"There's someone to see you, general. A warrior named Xena." Claudius' expression showed a mixture of surprise and curiosity when he heard the name. In thoughts he straightened his clothes, while his servant quietly awaited his orders. A nod from his master was enough; the young Roman left the patio and soon returned in the company of a tall, dark haired woman.

"Xena," the general said with a charming smile, "What brings the legendary warrior princess to my humble quarters?"

"I believe you lost something. And I intend to bring it back."

Claudius' eyes brightened up. "I hadn't expected you to join the chase. But then again, who can resist 10.000 dinars?"

"It's not the money I'm interested in."

The general gave her a suspicious look. "Then what is?"

Xena smiled seductively as she caressed her chakram. "Let's say Anna and I have some... unfinished business."

"I don't recall you ever fighting her. What has she done to you?"

"She challenged me. Word is she said she could squash me like a grape. I'm not about to let her ruin my reputation."

Claudius laughed out loud. "My my, I didn't know you were so vein."

"We all have our little flaws."

The general looked at her sharply for a while. "Very well, you may go after her. But remember, I own her. And I want her back alive. You got that?"

"I'll try to keep that in mind. But suppose I get a little carried away... Surely her death won't overthrow you with grief? After all... she's just a slave, isn't she?"

"If she was just a slave, I wouldn't offer that much money. If you only knew what people will pay to see her fight. She's a star! So make sure you don't harm her. She's of no use to me dead."

"Any idea where she went to?"

Claudius rolled his eyes and sighed. "Probably back to that horrible place where I found her: Batavia. But let's not discuss that now. Night is falling... You're welcome to stay in my palazzo for the night."

"Thanks."

"Good. I'll see you at dinner."



When Xena and Gabrielle entered the room, Claudius and his wife already awaited them, lying on their luxurious cushions. "You talk to the wife. Let me handle Claudius," Xena whispered in the bard's ear, while she gracefully smiled at the general.

"Xena! Do sit down," he said courteously. Then he took Gabrielle's hand and kissed it lightly. "But first tell me the name of your charming companion."

The bard lowered her eyes. Xena gave them a peculiar look and then said: "This is Gabrielle. A famous bard who can tell you all about the bloody battles we've been through. You should hear her recite about the siege of Thebes... Absolutely exhilarating."

Claudius looked approvingly at the bard. "Then I'll suggest you come dine at my side.'

Gabrielle smiled but quickly threw Xena a puzzled and angry look. But the warrior was all eyes for Claudius' wife, Lucia.

"Mind if I sit here?"

The woman, who probably was in her mid-forties, produced a forced smile. "Not at all."

When the warrior had installed herself and a servant had poured her a glass of wine, the lady said: "So, you're going to pursue Anna."

"I'll do even better than that. I'll find her."

Lucia kept silent, but her expression didn't show much enthusiasm.

Xena took a sip from her wine and said casually: "They say she is quite a warrior."

"That's what they say," Lucia answered dryly while she looked at her nails.

"You don't agree?"

"I wouldn't know. I never saw her fight. I'm not particularly fond of seeing people getting killed just for kicks. As a matter of fact, I don't approve of women who take on a sword. It's not natural." And with a bland nod she added: "No offence."

Xena cooly met her eye. "None taken. Although I don't think Anna had the luxury of choosing her way of life." Lucia narrowed her eyes a bit. "You didn't know her. That girl was a savage when we got her and she still is."

"Even after all those years of being under your care?"

Lucia clenched her jaws and there was a hostile look in her eyes. "You cannot change someone's core. Let me tell you a story... When Anna was ten she thrust a fork in my cook's hand. He was never able to use that hand again."

"Maybe she had reason to attack him." Lucia shook her head while she waved a servant to refill her cup. "There's no excuse for what she did. It wasn't civil. She should have been sent away."

"You didn't like her very much, did you?"

It was like Lucia got a grip on herself and she carefully chose her words. "She's a warrior woman. What's to like about someone like that?"

"I'm sure you mean no offence?"

Lucia smiled but said nothing.

"Any idea why she left?"

"She was a woman. A woman always knows when she's no longer capable of defeating the competition."

Xena cocked her eyebrows. "Are we talking about the battlefield or her love life?"

Lucia looked away from the piercing blue eyes and muttered: "I think I already wasted too much time on discussing the subject. It's spoiling my appetite."



Hours later Gabrielle stormed into their room. Xena was busy with packing her bag, but when she looked up there was an amused smile on her lips. "How did your talk with Claudius go?"

"What do you think? I had to talk for hours about rolling heads and spilling blood. Thank you very much for bringing me into that position!"

"You're a bard. It's your job to tell stories."

Gabrielle folded her arms. "Yes, but slashers are not my speciality. And besides, I thought you didn't want me to talk to him?!"

Xena shrugged her shoulders. "I changed my mind."

"Why?"

"I saw the way he looked at you. And how his wife looked at the two of you. There's no better source than a jealous woman."

Gabrielle frowned. "You think Anna had an affair with Claudius?"

"At least Lucia considered her as a threat. And it's clear she doesn't want us to find her. Did you get anything interesting out of the general?"

The bard sat down on the bed. "Not really. One odd thing though... Did you know Anna was afraid of horses? She even refused to ride them."

"Really..." Xena looked puzzled for a while, but then she seemed as determined as ever. "We'll leave first thing in the morning."



Gabrielle read the sign on the small building. "Harbor master." She gave Xena a furtive look and said: "You really wanna go inside? I mean, all the locals say they haven't seen Anna. Maybe she didn't get on board of a ship after all."

"Don't get your hopes up."

"I'm only saying you could be wrong about this."

Xena shook her head. "We're in Greece. The locals will never rat on someone who's hunted down by the Romans."

"The harbor master is Greek too. What makes you think he's going to give her away."

"My experience. I've never met a harbor master who wasn't corrupt. And if money doesn't do the trick, I always have these," and Xena triumphantly waved her forefingers at the bard.



The fat man who sat behind his desk didn't even look up when they entered. He was still scribbling something down in his logbook, while he gestured his visitors to sit down. "One moment, will ya. Almost finished."

Xena looked at Gabrielle with a bored look, but waited just the same. After a couple of minutes he put his quill in a holder and finally looked up to them. Obviously he hadn't expected female company.

"The market is over there ladies." And he showed his toothless grin.

The warrior princess put up her most charming smile. "One more remark like that and you will be at that market. Selling your own body parts as bait!" Suddenly she was all stony-faced again: "Now when did the last ship leave for Batavia?"

The harbor master blinked his eyes in amazement, but recaptured his senses quickly. "The North Sea is Viking area. No shipper is going to risk being raided. Gaul, that's as far as our ships will go."

"When did the last ship leave?"

"A week ago. Why?"

Xena ignored his question. "Any special cargo on board?"

The harbor master wiped a bit of sweat off his forehead and looked down, while he rolled up a scroll: "Just the usual. Olives, wine, grain."

"Are you sure there wasn't a lady on board?" and she slowly placed a hand on her chakram.

His eyes flashed between Xena's chakram and her piercing eyes. "A woman on board brings bad luck," he laughed nervously.

Xena got a little closer. "Was there a blonde woman on board, yes or no?" The man backed away, but suddenly his eyes began to sparkle. "That depends... I'm a little short on money, if you catch my drift." Xena pinched him before he could blink. The warrior said dryly: "I'm a little short on patience. You got 30 seconds left. Be smart, spit it out!"

"A-a-alright," he gargled.

"Alright what?"

"Yes... there... was a woman. T-t-take it off... take... off."

Xena pinched him again and he dropped on the floor. As the man slowly recovered, he found Xena and Gabrielle still standing in front of him. "I told you everything," he gasped: "What more do you want?"

Xena threw a pouch on his table. "That should be enough for the next cruise to Gaul. Make it all inclusive. My friend here likes to be pampered."



Two weeks had passed. The wind had been kind to them and they would soon reach the coast of Gaul. While a southern breeze bulged the sail, Xena did some yoga exercises. Gabrielle watched her friend from a distance, admiring her calm posture and strong features. On an impulse she decided to join her and so she sat down in front of her. With her eyes closed she held up her palms just like Xena did and meditated quietly. Until she heard the rhythmic banging of the ropes against the masts, the repeating sound of waves crushing on the bow, the soft squeaking of the sails. The longer she listened, the more she was captivated by the rhythm. It was hard to ignore. Hard not to move. If not impossible... She made a small circle with her right shoulder, then with her left. Yeah, that felt good. She swayed her hips on a melody that only she seemed to hear, while her hands sensually danced in the air. It wasn't long before Xena opened her eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm in deep spiritual contact with myself. Especially with my lower chakra's," the bard answered sultry while she bent her upper body - giving Xena a fantastic view on her feminineity.

"I can see that. So can the whole crew."

"Let them..." Her green eyes breathed desire.

"They're drewling, Gabrielle!"

As the bard continued her soundless dance she whispered: "At least they show their appreciation."

"Maybe I'm not easy to read," Xena replied in an icy tone.

"Are you saying this dance pleases the warrior princess?" Gabrielle smiled seductively, before she slowly bent backwards until the back of her head rested on her heels.

"It would PLEASE me a lot more, if you would draw a little less attention!"

"I would... if I could," it sounded with difficulty.

Xena lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I'm kind of stuck here. Can you help me? As in getting up."

Suddenly Xena was all smile. "Serves you right," she said while looking down on her friend's purple face. "Ouch, that must hurt. Told you that Kama Sutra stuff wasn't meant for normal people."

Gabrielle gave her a furious look. But understanding her dependency she quickly put up her sweetest face. "Just help? Please?" Xena sighed and helped the bard back on her feet. While Gabrielle stretched her painful back, the warrior princess met the hungry eyes of the crew. "Keep looking like that and I make you all double up!"

It was amazing how quickly they all found something useful to do...



Below deck Xena gently laid down her friend on her belly. "You really got to watch out what you're doing," she said while her fingers searched Gabrielle's lower back.

"Yeah well, I thought I was more flexible than that."

"I was talking about dancing in front of those sailors!"

"Oh them..." She looked over her shoulder and gave Xena a defiant smirk. "Surely you're able to defend my honor?"

Xena smiled at her ironically. "What honor?"

"Ha-ha," the bard replied. "And there I was thinking I could depend on you."

"You can depend on my common sense. Who's gonna steer the ship when I have to knock out half the crew?"

The bard bit her lip. "You got a point there. Alright... I won't do it again. Not that I could anyway. I think I tore up a muscle or something."

"Too bad..." The warrior princess' smile was now warm and sincere, while she rubbed the sore spot.

"Why? Did you had something in mind?"

Xena softly stroke the skin underneath her fingers while she answered teasingly: "No sense in telling you now. It would only make you feel worse now that you're injured."

"I have one strained muscle, the rest of my body works perfectly fine."

Xena patted her on the back and got up. "If you're sensible, you give it a rest. Besides, I don't want to stir up the crew more than we already did."

Gabrielle rolled over and caressed Xena's thigh. "Sure I can't persuade you?"

The warrior princess watched Gabrielle's hand dive under her leather skirt.

"Sure you don't want this?" Gabrielle's fingers reached higher, touching soft naked skin. Warm skin.

Xena's lips parted. The colour of her eyes seemed to change into a deep kind of blue.

Gabrielle's fingertips found soft fabric, and held her breath while she slid underneath it.

Suddenly Xena grabbed her wrist. "Let me get back on that. We have visitors."

Before Gabrielle knew it, Xena had ran upstairs. Towards the loud noises on the upper deck...



A slender warship with a huge dragon on its bow lay alongside their vessel. A dozen Vikings jumped on board, while they roared and swung their weapons. Xena was only just in time to kick a toothless Viking in the stomach, before he could thrust his axe into her chest. She took some time to look him over, said: "Boy, you're ugly," and punched him on his big fat nose. He dropped limp on the ground. "That's better. Don't get in my face again."

Seconds later she found herself surrounded by four raiders, ready to strike. But the satisfied grins on their faces changed into surprise as Xena blandly ducked. "Wait a second, guys," she said in their Nordic language, "my lace is undone."

And then things happened with the speed of light. Turning on her left foot, she used her right leg as a scythe and mowed the men down as if they were corn. She swiftly got on her feet and looked down on them. "That was fun! Wanna do that again?"



The Vikings got up with difficulty and boiling with anger they came at her. By that time Xena had grabbed her sword and swung it at her first adversary. He had trouble intercepting the blow and before he knew it she had knocked him out with a butt of the head. Right away a second barbarian stormed at her with a big bludgeon. Xena probed the situation and suddenly gave her sword to another Viking. "Hold that, will ya." She flipped in the air and landed just behind her attacker. While he looked in surprise where the warrior princess had gone, she patted him on the back. As he turned she gave him a devastating right jab. The Viking sunk almost immediately to his knees. Contently smiling Xena walked over to his flabbergasted mate, took the sword he was still holding, said "thanks" and turned her back on him. Finally the man snapped out of his amazement. The shiny metal of his heaved axe reflected sunlight on Xena's black hair and he secretly smiled... The kill would be his. Little did he know. With no warning at all, Xena slammed the back of her hand in his face. When she heard the expected drop behind her, she muttered: "Love that move."



Meanwhile Gabrielle had arrived on deck. When she saw the boat crawling with Vikings, she quickly grabbed her sais. Just in time, for a huge man stood before her. He had an enormous axe in one hand, a wooden shield in the other. The bard didn't give it another thought and threw a sai at him, aiming for his leg. But the giant swiftly adjusted his shield. The dagger still vibrated in the wood when Gabrielle threw the other sai. But also this one was intercepted without much difficulty. The Viking dropped his shield and pointed his axe at her. Nervously the bard looked around her, but there was nothing she could use as a weapon. Suddenly she spotted a rope that was tied to the rail. Most of the crew used its ragged tail to clean their behinds after they had done their business... Quickly she pulled the rope up and swung it above her head. With disgust the Viking watched the dirty tassel.

"What's the matter? Scared of a little pooh?"

The Viking backed away, but Gabrielle lashed out with her rope and hit him right in the face. He almost threw up as he tried to get away from the stinking tassel. But the bard lashed out time and again, until he finally jumped overboard.



When Gabrielle looked around, their vessel was strewn with unconscious and dead Vikings. Xena was stashing her sword away, when Gabrielle called out to her. "Did you see that?"

Xena pulled up her nose. "Yeah. Nice work, Gabs. You're probably the first warrior who conquered a Viking with Greek shit."

Gabrielle suddenly remembered she was still dragging the dripping rope along and quickly threw it overboard. "Yeah, well. I couldn't find anything else at the time."

"Don't apologize. I admire your creativity." Xena lifted her up and carried her towards the hatch that led to below deck.

Gabrielle sighed blissfully. "Xena, you keep surprising me... I didn't know you were so romantic."

But Xena didn't smile and threw her overboard. "Me neither."

Gasping and spluttering the bard came to the surface. "What... in... Zeus' name... What was? that for?!"

Xena smilingly threw her a piece of soap. "Didn't your mother tell you to always wash up after you use the little girls room?"



A moment later a soaking Gabrielle walked into their cabin, her face red with anger. Her glaring eyes were set on Xena, who stopped mending the tear in her leather garment and slowly looked up to her. Gabrielle narrowed her eyes as she wrenched her skirt. A jet of water fell down. But still no word.

"Well... you look simply... splashing."

"You are so dead," the bard hissed.

She emptied her boot and half a gallon of seawater splashed on the wooden floor. Then she took off the rest of her wet clothes. Xena's face showed a slight concern that maybe this time she had really upset Gabrielle. So she got up on her feet and offered her a blanket. The bard snatched it from her hands.

"You're welcome," Xena mumbled.

With a face that still said 'I'll get you for this', Gabrielle lay down on the hay and turned her back on the warrior.

Xena squatted behind her and said on a lighthearted tone: "How about a new pair of boots when we get to shore?"

Gabrielle turned in anger. "You really think you can buy me over?"

Xena raised her hands in defense and quickly said: "Of course not!" It was quiet for a while. Then Xena said: "How about a pair of boots ánd tickets for a play."

"A romantic play and we have a deal."

"Fine."

"Good."



Finally they arrived in the harbor of Gesoriacum. A thriving city by the looks of the countless cargo ships. Gabrielle and Xena went straight to the tavern on the docks. While the warrior princess opened the door she said: "Let's see what we can find out."

The room was filled with smoke and loud talk, but you could hear a pin drop when the two women entered.

"Some things never change," Xena said under her breath as she walked over to the counter. She showed Anna's picture to the bartender. "Seen this woman?"

He didn't even look, but answered cooly: "What's it to you?"

"I'm looking for her."

A diabolic sparkle lit up his dark brown eyes. "So is the whole Roman army."

Xena and Gabrielle gave each other a quick look. Apparently news had traveled fast.

The Gaulic man brushed his long dark hair backwards and poured himself a drink. "You're too late. She was here when she stumbled into a group of soldiers."

"Was she captured?" Gabrielle asked.

A couple of the customers started to laugh, but the bartender kept a straight face. "You don't know much about her do you? That woman is a gladiatrix. She fought in our arena years ago... People are still talking about it!"

Gabrielle said: "So... what happened?"

"She killed all six of them. That's what happened."

"Where is she now?" Xena asked impatiently.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Look! If the Romans are on her trail, she's on her own. Help me find her and she stands a fair chance. I'm on her side."

For a moment the innkeeper seemed to hesitate, but then he said: "Sorry. Don't know where she is."

Xena placed her hands on the bar and came dangerously close to his face: "I think you do."

There was no fear in his eyes. He threw away a cloth and said: "Take my advice and leave."

From the corner of her eyes Gabrielle could see several men get up. "Xena, let's go. We'll find another way."

Suddenly the bartender burst out: "Wait a minute! Are you Xena?"

"Yes."

"As in Xena, the warrior princess?"

"Yesss..."

The bartender slammed his fist on the counter and roared: "Why didn't you say so?! You conquered Caesar in Gaul! You're a hero!"

Xena clearly didn't feel too comfortable under the cheers and the rough pats on her back. "Right, now about Anna..."

The bartender was all friendliness now. "She took the smugglers trail a week ago. I will show you first thing in the morning."



Gabrielle wore her new boots when she stepped out of the small shop. "A perfect fit. That's what I love about shopping... It's so rewarding," she sighed blissfully.

Xena stretched her back and moaned: "Speak for yourself! Why didn't you buy those boots when we were here four hours ago?!"

Gabrielle gave her a puzzled look. "Because it was the first shop we visited."

"So?!"

"You never buy in the first store. That's an unwritten shop law."

"Have you been talking to Aphrodite lately?" Xena asked with a scrutinizing look.

"Of course not! But maybe you should sometimes..." She grined at her soulmate and said teasingly: "You know, get in touch with your feminineity."

"I'd rather get in touch with a warm bath. My feet are killing me."

"Not just yet. You have not completely paid your dues."

Xena forced herself to smile. "Right. A play."

The bard looked at her maliciously. "Not just a play, Xena. A romantic play."

"Well, I don't know if we're fortunate enough to choose. This is not Rome or Athens."

"We'll see. Look!" Gabrielle pointed at a wall. "Let's check out those posters."

Xena shuffled towards the wall and looked the flyers over. She nodded at one of them. "How about that one?"

The bard peered at the poster. "Four Hangings And A Crucifixion... Doesn't sound romantic to me, Xena."

Xena shrugged her shoulders. "All depends on why they were killed. Maybe they died for some innocent virgin or something. We could check it out and..."

But the bard shook her head. "I don't think so, Xena."

"How about Return Of The Bacheye 2?"

Gabrielle pulled up her nose. "Nah, I saw the first part and it sucked."

The warrior sniggered. "Isn't that just the point?"

But the bard wasn't to be swayed. "Forget it. I want to see a real play about real people with real emotions."

"As in real boring," Xena answered sulkingly.

But Gabrielle ignored the remark, for she finally spotted a play that she liked. "There! From Thebes With Love, a story about a young woman who loses her heart to a man who has been turned into a willow by the hands of the jealous goddess Hera."

Xena raised one eyebrow. "She falls in love with a tree? That's not romantic, Gabrielle. That's sick!"

"It's about unconditional love, Xena. She loves his being, even when they will never be together. It's so dramatic!"

Xena had trouble not to yawn. "Listen... why don't you go and I'll do some more inquiries."

Wearing an amused smile Gabrielle said: "You promised, Xena. And as my mother used to say: someone who promises and will not do, is equal to a skinny chicken that cackles but does not lay."

"Your mother said that? Hm, that does explain where your slightly deranged character comes from..."

Gabrielle chuckled. "Stop whining. We've got a show to catch."

"Goodie."



Two hours later they walked out of the theatre. Xena snapped her neck and said: "That wasn't so bad."

Gabrielle gave her a pedantic look. "It was terrible!"

"I kind of liked it." And while she made wild gestures with her arms: "Especially when that tree man smashed her head with his branches."

The bard shook her head. "How could they do that? I know the play and there was never a scene like that. It was supposed to be about platonic love."

"Platonic love doesn't sell tickets, Gabrielle. Maybe they wanted to spice it up a little bit. You know, to avoid the audience from falling asleep."

Gabrielle gave her a playful push. "Philistine!"

"Hey, I wasn't the one who picked out this play."

"I was deluded by the poster," the bard said indignantly, "they should have mentioned the blood and the violence."

"Yeah, they should have. It would be a hit."



They arrived at the inn and walked straight to their room.

Gabrielle rubbed her arms and shivered. "It's cold." She quickly took off her boots and jumped under the thick blanket that covered their bed.

Xena peered at her and said: "Aren't you going to undress?"

"I've got to warm up first. Come here."

The warrior slipped out of her armory and laid down next to the bard. Gabrielle cuddled up against Xena's body and whispered: "Mmm, that's nice."

Carefully she slid her cold feet under Xena's warm legs, expecting her usual reaction: a horrified look and a remark like: Get those icicles away from me!

But Xena hardly reacted. She just stared at the cracked ceiling.

"Something on your mind?"

Absent-mindedly Xena murmured: "Just practical things. We'll have to buy horses and some warm clothes. It's freezing up north."

Gabrielle fondled Xena's stomach. "Are you sure there's nothing else you're worried about?" Xena kept silent.

"Is it Anna?"

The warrior still had her eyes on the ceiling and answered dully: "No. Now try to get some sleep, Gabrielle. We have a long day ahead of us."

Xena adjusted her cushion and laid down again. Eyes closed and in no way receptive of anymore conversation.

The silence between them was heavy. Gabrielle listened to Xena's breathing... too quiet, too controlled. And therefore she knew that Xena did the same thing. Listening to her breathing, waiting for... something.

Gabrielle ignored her hurt feelings and wrapped her arm around Xena's waist while gently kissing her shoulder. Soon she felt Xena's hand slip into hers. A smile play with her lips, but it could not take away the darkness that had fallen upon her heart.



Two days had gone by since the bartender had showed them the smugglers trail. It was noon and even though the sun shone, it couldn't chase away the cold.

"Anna is still on foot," Xena said while she checked some prints in the mud. "If we keep up this pace, we'll catch up with her in two days."

"I still can't believe it," Gabrielle said. "She must have looked death in the eye almost every day and yet she's scared of horses."

Xena mounted her horse and replied: "I remember you had a thing against horses too."

"I wasn't scared of Argo," the bard objected. "I think she had a thing against me."

"Nonsense. Argo had a complex character. It wasn't easy to win her trust."

"Like owner, like horse."

Xena laughed, but suddenly her expression changed as she scowled the horizon. The kind of look Gabrielle had seen so often when danger was near.

"What's wrong?"

The warrior gnashed: "Corpses."

She immediately kicked her horse and dashed off, followed by Gabrielle. Soon they saw at least ten Roman soldiers lying on the path. Their blood gave the mud a sickening colour and the stench of their rotting corpses was almost unbearable.

Shock was written all over Gabrielle's face as she looked at the massacre. "You think this is Anna's work?"

Xena jumped off of her horse and examined some of the soldiers. "Whoever did this knew what he or she was doing. These wounds are all deadly." She squatted down when she saw some footprints and got up again.

The bard looked down on her friend. "It was her, right?"

Xena clenched her teeth. "Judging by the size of those boots... Yes."



That night they made fire in the damp forest. It was hard to find dry wood, but finally a little fire was burning. Gabrielle warmed her hands, but nevertheless a shiver ran down her spine. She pricked up her ears, but heard nothing disturbing. Still, she couldn't shake off her fear. "Maybe we shouldn't make fire."

"Don't worry. She will try to get to the northern border as fast as she can. She's not gonna wait for us."

The bard looked at her through the flames. "Have you thought about what you're going to do when we find her?"

There was an immediate change of expression. Xena narrowed her eyes and her voice sounded blank: "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

"Maybe that will be too late. What if she recognizes you and tries to kill you?"

"You're not doubting my fighting skills are you?"

"I'm serious, Xena."

The warrior princess threw another log on the fire. "Let's find her first, shall we?"

"In other words: this discussion is over..." Gabrielle buried her face in her hands. "Xena, I have every right to know what we're up against."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do. But that's not the point. Why can't we talk about it?"

"Because there's no point in discussing what if's! I'll deal with Anna when the time comes."

"Fine." Gabrielle got up and crawled under her blanket.

Xena stared at her for a while and hung her head. "I'm not asking you to understand."

The bard swallowed. "I do understand. But that doesn't make it right."



The next morning they hardly spoke to each other. Last night's conversation still lingered on between them, despite of the casual contacts. A slight touch of the hand, a furtive look... So insignificant and yet so full of love and remorse. I shouldn't push her, Gabrielle thought. Not until this is all over.

She peered into the forest and again an uneasy feeling got hold of her. "There's something about this place. I don't like it."

Xena nodded. "Get off your horse. We'll go on foot from here." They had barely touched ground when they saw someone running through the bushes. It went so fast that the bard didn't know if it was a woman or a man. Whoever it was, it was definitely someone blonde. Xena took her sword. But before she could make a move, she felt a sharp object against her throat.

"Drop the sword," it sounded behind her. An icy female voice.

Xena's blade fell on the ground, while Gabrielle slowly turned around. She immediately recognized the woman from the poster. It was Anna! Her fair hair was tied together with a leather strap and she wore a tight garment made from suede, leather boots and a long cloak of bearskin. Her big blue eyes were deceivingly childlike, for her voice was hard and commanding. "Stop staring! Take those daggers from your boots and throw them away. Very slowly, or your friend here is history."

Gabrielle did what she was asked while she tried to make eye contact with Xena. But the warrior seemed to look straight through her.

"Good girl. Now..," and she gave a piece of rope to Xena, "tie the blonde one up."

Xena took Gabrielle's hands and tied them together.

"Tighter!"

When Xena pulled the rope harder, Gabrielle's face was wrenched with pain.

"That's better. Now... slowly turn around."



Anna's face turned white as a sheet when she saw the woman before her. "That's not possible. It can't be! They told me you were dead!"

"They were wrong."

Anna pushed the dagger harder against her throat and hissed: "You can't fool me. If Xena was still alive she should be in her fifties by now!"

Gabrielle cleared her throat. "She's telling you the truth. Ares, the god of war, made us sleep for 25 years."

"I stopped believing in fairytales a long time ago. And besides, I wasn't talking to you." Anna fixed her gaze on Xena again. "For the last time... who are you?!"

Xena clenched her jaws. "You should know. I sold you. Remember?"

Anna's eyes seemed to change colour and turned dark. With a withering look she lashed out with the hilt of her blade... It had such a devastating power that Xena lost conscience and smacked to the ground.



Anna tied Xena and Gabrielle together by their necks and feet. As soon as Xena woke, she took them to a secret hide-out. A hollow oak with room for at least four sitting people. But Anna wasn't planning on sharing the shelter. She tied both women to a tree, and started to prepare some food. The wind was picking up and Anne frowningly looked up to the sky. A small drop fell on the palm of her hand. And another. Soon the light drizzle changed into a pouring rain. Anna sighed and walked over to the tree. She quickly untied Gabrielle and pushed her to the shelter.

"What about Xena? You can't leave her out there."

"You want to join her in the rain?"

Gabrielle kept silent.

"I thought as much."

The bard looked at Xena, who was now soaking wet. Gabrielle tried to stop the shivering. She was cold to the bone, but the thought of her soulmate being tortured by the dreadful rain made her forget her own misery. She searched for Anna's eyes and when she finally met them she pleaded: "She'll freeze to death. At least give her my cloak."

"The last time I showed her mercy, she sold me to the Romans."

The bard's heart sank. Anna had said it so indifferently, and yet every word had cut through her like a knife. How could she defend Xena to this woman? But Gabrielle picked up her courage.

"What she did to you was cruel and heartless. And I understand the resentment you must feel for her. But Xena has changed. She wants to help you."

"Does she now. Well, I guess that changes everything."

Anna got up and went outside.



In the pouring rain she squatted down next to Xena whose teeth were chattering. "I hear you want to help me fight the Romans."

Xena met her eye and spoke with blue-turned lips: "Yes, I do."

"What makes you think I need you?"

"You cannot win this battle alone."

The gladiatrix laughed. "Well, if you don't mind me saying so, I was rather doing fine on my own. And I certainly don't need help from a warrior who gets herself tied up. So much for your fighting skills."

Xena didn't bat an eye. "You were tied up for 25 years. So much for your theory."

Anna's eyes spit fire, and while the rain dripped from her chin she shouted: "Shut up, or I swear I'll kill you!"

"If you think that's going to help you."

Anna stared at her for a while and then said stony-faced: "Let me think that one over. Have a nice night, Xena."



Gabrielle didn't get a wink of sleep. As soon as light chased off the darkness, she looked at Xena. Her eyes were shut and her face looked like a whitish kind of blue. Only the vapor of her breath in the cold morning revealed that she was still alive. When Gabrielle turned, she saw that Anna's eyes were on her.

"Let me go to her," the bard pleaded.

The gladiatrix yawned and stretched her arms. "She'll be alright."

The bard pulled on her ropes and screamed: "You want to kill her? Then start with me!"

Anna came real close, a fixed smile on her face. "Aren't you the loyal one. She does that to people, doesn't she? Make them go all soft on her. You do everything to help her because she makes you believe she cares. Right? Until she slams the door in your face. Believe me, I've been there."

Gabrielle lowered her eyes. "I know a different Xena."

"Oh, I heard all about her heroic acts. But to me she'll always be a betrayer. I'm sure you'll understand."



The gladiatrix got on her feet and walked over to Xena who was still asleep. She took a bucket and threw ice cold water in her face. Xena woke up with a start and looked at her with red stained eyes.

"Enjoyed your beauty sleep?" Anna asked viciously.

Xena didn't reply.

"Sorry for waking you up so harshly. But I thought you might not want to miss breakfast."

She walked back to the hollow tree, took a juicy piece of poultry from her bag and held it in front of the bard's mouth. "Here, eat."

Gabrielle narrowed her eyes. "Are you going to give some to Xena?"

"I'll think about it."

Gabrielle hesitatingly took a bite. Anna waited until the bard had swallowed the meat. Then she stuffed the rest in her own mouth.

Gabrielle shook her head. "I should have known..."

"Don't worry. Xena can have the bone." And she threw it before Xena's feet.



Gabrielle ferociously tried to free herself, but there was no way she could pull it off. Tears ran over her cheeks as she jerked on the ropes once more, with the sole result that blood dripped from her wrists.

"It's okay, Gabrielle," she heard Xena say with a broken voice. "I'm not hungry anyway."

Anna slowly walked towards the warrior princess. "Are you trying to spoil my fun?"

"I'm trying to calm down my friend."

The gladiatrix grabbed her by the hair. "Afraid I might harm her?"

"Yes."

Anna let go of her hair, clearly surprised by Xena's candid answer. "Well, that's the difference between you and me. I don't hurt the innocent."

A pained smile covered Xena's face. "Then let her go."

"And give her a chance to free you? I don't think so."

"Then what ís your plan? It's only a matter of time before they find us."

"I wasn't exactly planning on staying. We'll leave right away."

"Don't be a fool. We will only slow you down. Unless..."

The gladiatrix gave her a condescending smile: "Unless what?"

"Unless you cut me loose and give me back my sword. Together we can..."

"Give it up, Xena."

"I can't. I can't let you die."

"Oh please, save that self sacrificing act for her." Anna nodded at Gabrielle. "She still believes in you. As for me... I trusted you once and we both know what a mistake that was."

Anna was walking away when Xena called out to her. "You think you caught me? I let you."

Anna stopped but didn't turn.

Xena went on. "That thing we saw in the bushes. That was a blonde wig you catapulted away. I saw the sling between the two oaks. A clever distraction... for a rookie."

Slowly the gladiatrix turned around. Her cheeks flushed and a voice trembling from anger. "I don't believe you."

"Then let's get it over with," Xena said. "Go ahead and kill me."

Anna took out her sword and held it above Xena's head. "You think I'm not up to it? I've killed before - believe me."

"I count on it."

Anna slowly swung her sword?

In the background Xena could hear Gabrielle scream, but she kept her eyes nailed to Anna's. Even when the sword came down and she felt the cut...

... and the release of her hands. With a stony face Anna lifted up Xena's chin with the tip of her sword. "Don't make me regret this."



Xena and Gabrielle rode on their horses, while Anna walked a little ahead. The bard peered at Xena and then asked the question that had haunted her mind for hours. "Were you serious? Did you let her catch us?"

Xena drew in a long breath. "Yes."

"How could you do that?! She could have killed us."

The warrior gritted her reins. "She didn't."

"But you couldn't have known that!"

Xena pulled her horse to a stop and shifted on her saddle to look Gabrielle in the eye. "She's not a killer, Gabrielle."

The bard couldn't believe what she heard. "I'm sure those dead Romans we passed along the way won't agree."

"She had every right to kill them," Xena replied. "She fought for her freedom."

"And you think she wouldn't want to kill the very one person who took that away from her?"

A shadow overcast Xena's face and her eyes showed a mixture of anger and hurt. "It was a gut feeling. Let's leave it at that."

"Let's not!" The bard's face was red with anger. "Next time your gut speaks to you, be sure to tell me. I'd like to know it when my life's on the line!"

Gabrielle spurred her horse and rode off.



It was almost dusk when Xena came riding alongside Gabrielle. The bard looked aside and murmured: "Came to apologize?"

"This isn't the time, Gabrielle."

"Says who? By the gods, you're so..."

"Arrogant, self-centered and blunt, I know," the warrior princess replied hastily. "We'll fight over this later, Gabrielle. But right now we're being watched."

Gabrielle took a deep breath. "How bad is it?"

"Nothing we can't handle. Gabrielle, I want you to get off your horse and ask Anna for a rest."

The bard dismounted, but before she walked off, she looked up to Xena and smirked: "You forgot unsociable."

A moment later Xena heard her shout: "Anna! We are hungry. Can we rest a while?"

The gladiatrix turned and walked casually towards them. When she was in earshot Xena said: "We've got company."

Anna put down her bag and whispered: "I know. There are seven of them in the bushes and one in that big oak behind you."

Xena pulled up an eyebrow. "Missed that one. Are you ready?"

"I'm always ready," Anna answered. "And just a little reminder: I'm keeping a close eye on you. One wrong movement and you're dead."



Suddenly all hell broke loose. Two Roman soldiers dashed ragingly at Xena, while another threw himself at Gabrielle. Three men ran towards Anna with drawn swords. But just before they reached her, she leaned on the hilt of her blade and made a sideward cartwheel. Her attackers completely missed and lost their balance. A fatal mistake. The gladiatrix immediately lashed out and cut the throat of the soldier closest to her... A fountain of blood flushed from his artery and he sank down to his knees. She didn't wait for the second soldier to come at her, but attacked him before he could blink an eye. She kicked the sword out of his hands, punched him hard in the stomach and then stabbed him in his unprotected chest. With a terrifying cry he collapsed. The third soldier looked at her in fear, his sword trembling in his hands. But Anna showed him no mercy: her dagger hit him right between the eyes. When the gladiatrix checked how Xena and Gabrielle were doing, she smiled contently. No help was needed there. Suddenly she heard a noise behind her. She ducked just in time to avoid a Roman sword, jumped up and gored her opponent. As the soldier tumbled to the ground, Anna became aware of another threat... She swiftly turned and looked straight into the wild eyes of a young man. In a flash she saw the short sword above his head, ready to slice her into little pieces. But then she heard a soft crack... The expression of his eyes immediately changed from rage into a deadly fear, until all light in them disappeared. His body stiffened and with wide open eyes he plopped down. She didn't have to look down to know that Xena's chakram had entered his spine. With an angry face Anna pulled out the round weapon and gave it back to Xena. "Why did you do that? I had him."

"Of course," the warrior princess smiled. "I just had him first."



That night Gabrielle and Anna were sitting by a small fire, while Xena was busy wiping away their footprints.

"Maybe you can ride with us tomorrow," the bard said. "We'd travel a lot quicker on horseback."

"You're not getting me on a horse. I hate them."

The bard poked in the fire and watched how the tip of her stick slowly turned red. "I think they're beautiful creatures. They're so elegant and strong." And as she looked aside: "Have you never ridden a horse?"

Anna stared into the flames and whispered: "Only once."

"What happened?"

The blonde woman's expression turned grim. "Ask Xena."

Gabrielle suddenly understood the cause of Anna's dislike towards horses. She cleared her throat and tried to catch Anna's eye. When she finally did, she said softly: "Xena told me she took you out for a ride... and sold you. Horses remind you of that, don't they?"

"Something like that."

The bard watched her with growing sympathy. "You must have been so scared."

For the first time she saw a soft glow in Anna's eyes. Even her voice sounded warmer. "I don't think I was. If I felt anything it was surprise. I couldn't believe she would leave me behind. With them." She took something out of her pocket and stared at it. "I even kept a button that I tore from her coat when she pushed me into their hands. I couldn't throw it away..." She showed it to Gabrielle. "Sounds dumb, doesn't it?"

"Not at all. You were a child."



They were quiet for a while. Then Gabrielle said: "You had the chance to kill her. Why didn't you?"

Anna smiled but her eyes didn't. "I've seen my share of death and destruction. Violence isn't going to make the pain go away. I've tried that fight after fight after fight."

"Can you forgive her?"

"I'm not a saint, Gabrielle. She put me through hell."

"I know," it sounded behind them. It was Xena. Her eyes were hidden in the shadow, but her voice revealed enough of the emotion behind them. "I took everything away from you. Your youth, your trust in people, your innocence... I can never undo that. But I can give you back your freedom. And I will do whatever it takes."

Anna seemed to look right through her. There was no emotion in her face, nor in her voice. "Do as you like. Just don't expect me to thank you."

She got up and threw her the button. "Your goodbye gift. I don't need it anymore." And she walked off.



Xena stared at the button without saying a word.

"Are you okay?" the bard whispered.

The warrior princess woke from her thoughts and grabbed her sword. Absent-mindedly she said "yes" and sat down. She took a grindstone and started to sharpen her blade.

Gabrielle lay her hand on Xena's arm. "Are you sure?"

"I said yes, didn't I?!" the warrior princess snapped at her.

Startled Gabrielle pulled back her hand.

Xena dropped the stone and sighed: "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not." Xena got up and looked remorsefully down on her soulmate. "I'm not very good company right now. I might as well brush the horses. Won't be long."

Gabrielle nodded and watched her leave.



When Xena returned, Gabrielle and Anna already had gone to bed. They lay on their bedrolls, a small fire between them. Anna was sleeping under her furry coat, the bard was tucked away under a thick woolen plaid. Xena unbuckled her breastplate and put her sword next to the bedroll. When she laid down next to Gabrielle, she folded her arms behind her head, deliberately knocking Gabrielle's skull with her elbow. "Sorry. I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Gabrielle opened her green eyes. "Are you a beautiful princess who will free me from my ungainly partner?"

"Nope. I'm the ungainly one."

The bard sighed. "Then I must be awake."

Xena grined. "Sorry." But then the smile on her face disappeared. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

The bard rolled on her side. "I already told you. It's okay. I understand how difficult this must be for you."

"Still... I shouldn't take it out on you. You don't deserve that."

Gabrielle caressed Xena's face. "I'm a big girl. I'm worried about you though... There's so much you keep inside. I can't help you if I don't know how you feel."

Xena blinked a couple of times, before she looked away. Finally she whispered: "She scares me."

"Why? If she wanted to kill you, she would have done it a long time ago."

"I know. But something's not right. All that anger she must feel for me... How can she stand to even look at me?"

"Maybe she's trying to get on with her life."

"After everything I've done to her? I would have made her pay."

Gabrielle propped herself up on an elbow. "She's not you, Xena. She said it herself: she's not after revenge."

"She also said she isn't a saint. Just think about it. There's more than 25 years of build-up anger inside of her. Maybe she can fool herself, but she's not fooling me."

The bard sighed and laid down again. "What do you want to do? Kick it out of her?"

Xena didn't answer. And after a while Gabrielle fell asleep.



After a days walk they made camp on a sheltered spot on the outskirts of the forest. The warrior princess had just sent out Gabrielle to hunt. While Anna rested her tired feet on her bedroll, Xena was collecting firewood. After a while she had a pile of wood, but she didn't made preparations to start a fire. Instead she suddenly drew her sword and rested its tip at the gladiatrix' chest.

"Don't move a muscle," she grunted at the snoozing woman.

Anna stared at her. "What is this?!"

Xena smiled at her viciously. "What does it look like? You're in trouble."

Anna tried to get up, but Xena's sword cut into her soft flesh.

"Now what did I tell you? Don't move! Wouldn't want to damage the goods."

Anna lay down again and smirked. "I see... You made a deal with Claudius."

Xena's eyes sparkled with pleasure. "A 10.000 dinars deal to be precise." The smile on her face disappeared when she gestured Anna with her sword. "Now get up!"

The gladiatrix slowly got on her feet, a puzzled look on her face. "Something's not right... I could have killed you. Why risk that if you wanted to bring me in."

"What can I say, I'm a daredevil. I like to play..." She grined. "I can't believe you bought that crap for the second time. Battling for good, playing my guilt... I even cried. I liked that part."

For a moment Anna held her breath and the knuckles of her clenched hands turned white. But then she slowly shook her head. "What game are you playing now, Xena? I don't believe you."

"Really." Xena gave her a right jab, which knocked her opponent down to the ground. "How about now?"

Blood dripped on Anna's chin. She wiped it off and got up again. "Is Gabrielle in on this?"

Xena laughed. "She's good isn't she? Those innocent green eyes can fool anyone. Now... turn around and put your hands behind your back."

Anna did what she was asked, but just when Xena wanted to tie her wrists, Anna kicked her head backwards, hitting Xena right in the face. For a moment the warrior princess was dazed. And Anna wasn't about to give her time to recuperate. She hit her hard with her right fist on the chin, followed by a devastating kick in her kidneys. The air was sucked out of her lungs and Xena doubled up in pain. But the gladiatrix wasn't finished yet. She gave her an upper cut, which made Xena bent backwards. Blood was all over her face, but she didn't bring her hands up to defend herself. Anna lashed out again and hit her on her jaw. Xena fell and stayed down...

"Come on! Get up!" Anna screamed while she kicked her in the side. "What's the matter with you? You can do better than this!"

But Xena let the gladiatrix kick her again. And again.

Anna pulled her up on her hair and for seconds she looked her straight in the eye. Abruptly she released her and walked off.

Xena got up with difficulty. "What is this? Are you walking away from a fight?!"

Anna turned and grunted: "This is not a fight? This is all about you and your guilt, isn't it? Well, did it work? Do you feel better now that I've beaten you half to death?"

Xena spit out some blood. "This is not about me."

"Oh, I see. You thought it would make me feel better?!"

Xena lowered her eyes. "You must feel so much hatred for me. I just thought..."

Anna interrupted her harshly: "You thought wrong. I feel nothing for you. My world doesn't revolve around you, Xena. Not anymore." She picked up Xena's sword and threw it before her feet. "If you so desperately want to help me, than be the best warrior you can be. I don't need the guilt trip!"



The light in the forest was already dying. It was harder to see things, but this was the time that the wildlife came to life. Gabrielle kept her sai firmly in her hand while she peered into the woods. There were sounds everywhere. A sparrow that pricked its bill in search of juicy worms. A squirrel that nibbled on a beechnut. Tiny hooves that made the leaves rustle. The bard didn't move a muscle but kept hidden behind a great oak. And there it was... a little wild boar. It moved right towards her as it rooted up the earth. It had no idea she was there. The wind came from the north and so the boar could not pick up her scent. Gabrielle lifted up her arm and aimed her dagger at the little pig. If she threw it now the kill was hers. She knew that. But something got in the way... She stared at his little nose, the tiny stripes on his back, his short tail. By the gods, she thought, he's so cute. But then she shook herself up and aimed again. Xena's depending on me, I can't go back and tell her I took pity on a perfectly edible prey. But the piglet had to spoil it by wagging his tiny tail when it found a perfect root. The bard got all soft and put the dagger down... "I can't do it," she moaned. The piglet immediately pricked up its ears and dashed off. "Xena's going to kill me," Gabrielle sighed as she turned. "That is... if they don't get to me first."



She stared into the dark eyes of a gigantic wild boar. And he wasn't alone. She was facing a group of at least ten adult specimen with dangerously long tusks. And by the looks of the upright hair in their necks, they didn't just want to wag their tales at her. "Hi there, little fellows. I'm taking a little step back," and she did. But the pack came threateningly closer and Gabrielle was rooted to the ground again. "Okay, maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all. Let's not get excited, shall we? I need to think... What would Xena do?" It was a status quo for a few seconds, but then the leader of the pack opened its big muzzle and roared. "Let's do it my way... RUN!" And she rushed off. She ran through the woods, cutting up her arms and legs on low branches while the wild bunch was chasing her. After a while she had shaken off most of the pigs and finally only the largest male was after her. The bard looked over her shoulder and only just managed to keep her balance when she tripped over a root. Gabrielle knew that she was getting tired and the boar wasn't. But then she saw it. She ran straight for a big oak, with the enormous foaming creature breathing in her neck. As she ran for her life, she heard the boar roar. Only a few inches more. Her head almost exploded and her lungs burned, but she found the strength to make the jump. As she clung to a big branch 5 feet above the ground, she heard the boar's head smash into the oak. "In your face, you piece of bacon!" she shouted. Gabrielle's muscles trembled but she hung in there to make sure the pig was knocked out. A few seconds later she jumped on the ground. She quickly looked around, but there was no sign of the pack. Just to be sure she thrust her dagger in his neck. Gabrielle wiped the blade off and stuck it in her boot. Then she took its paws and tried to move the animal. But after a few feet she gave it up. "That figures. I get punished for not taking the light meal." She peered into the woods in wonder where she was, and to her astonishment she was not far from the camp. That gave her new energy and she dragged her load along.



Gabrielle dropped her heavy load on the ground and stretched her back. "Remind me why I ever wanted to hunt." When she found no reply, she turned to the silent women who sat round the fire. She immediately saw the bruises and bloodstains on Xena's face. "Xena! What happened?!"

Xena's smile was clearly forced. "It's nothing."

Gabrielle turned to Anna. "Did you do this to her?"

The gladiatrix opened her mouth to say something, but Xena beat her to it. "We practiced a few moves."

The bard threw her an angry look. "Don't insult my intelligence."

Anna got up and took a knife from her boot. "We had a fight and Xena decided not to defend herself. She thought she was doing me a favor. Now, if you don't mind... I'm hungry. I'm going to clean that pig."

Anna swung the boar over her shoulder and left.

Gabrielle sat down next to Xena, shaking her head. "I already wondered why you suddenly wanted me to go hunting."

Xena smiled, which caused her some pain. "Why? It's not the first time you actually came back with something edible."

The bard chuckled. "You call that senile squirrel I caught last month edible? You were sick for days."

Xena bulged her cheek with her tongue. "I said it was edible, I didn't say it was tasty."

Gabrielle caressed Xena's sore cheek. "Why don't you never let me into your plans?" "Would you have left if I had told you the truth?"

The bard looked down. "No. I probably wouldn't."

"I rest my case."

Gabrielle grined, but she got serious when she saw the bruises again. "Does it hurt?"

"I'll live. I just wanted her to vent out her rage... But she's so collected."

"What if she's really over it?"

The warrior shook her head. "She's not over it, Gabrielle."

"Maybe that's what you want to believe."

Xena stared into the flames and whispered: "Maybe..."



While Anna was roasting the wild boar, Gabrielle searched the camp for her last scroll. She checked their bedrolls and her bag, but found nothing. After she had turned the saddlebags inside out, she looked distrustfully at Xena. "Did you see my scroll? It was right here on my bedroll."

Xena hardly looked up from the cut in her thigh that she rubbed in with honey. "No."

"Are you sure? Xena, look at me. Tell me that scroll didn't see the mighty warrior's buns from up close."

The warrior princess made a fending off gesture with her hands. "That was a one time mistake, okay? Besides, there are plenty of leafs around here. Pretty soft stuff too."

Gabrielle looked at her in disbelieve. "It can't just disappear, now can it?"

A sound from behind startled them. "Gabrielle? Do you have room in your saddlebag for the pig's liver? I already cooked it."

The bard pulled a wry face. "Would you mind putting it in Xena's bag? I've got some delicate stuff in my bag, like my quill and..."

Anna threw her something. "Don't worry. I wrapped it up."

Gabrielle turned white as she looked at the package. She opened her mouth, but no sound escaped her lips. "Oops," Xena said. "Don't forget to breathe, Gabrielle. You're getting blue in the face."

The bard blinked a couple of times before she snapped out of it. Defiantly she stood before the gladiatrix. "You used my scroll... for the pigs liver?"

"Yeah, I ehm, couldn't find anything else."

Gabrielle looked at the grease-stained parcel in her hands. "So you took my scroll?! I've put my heart and soul in that story!"

"It's not completely spoiled. I only used half of it."

"You don't get it do you? This is literature we're talking about! Half a story is no story. It's like The Iliad without the travelling bit!"

Anna looked uncomfortable. "I wouldn't know. Sorry."

Suddenly Gabrielle's voice sounded warm. "Well... I guess it's not the end of the world. I could rewrite it. Let's just forget it." "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's okay. Say, is that pig done yet? I'm starving."

"I'll go check it."

When Gabrielle turned she saw Xena's stunned face. Without making a noise Gabrielle moved her lips saying: "What?"

Xena split a log with her sword to drown out the sound of her voice. "I'm surprised, that's all."

"About what?!"

"She ruins your scroll and gets a 'forget it', where as I almost got killed."

"Hey, you used my art to wipe off your ass! And besides... Didn't you see the look on her face when I mentioned The Iliad? I bet she never read one of the great writers. She had this horrible life and I'm nagging about a stupid piece of paper."

They fell silent when Anna came back and said: "I think it's ready."

"Great," Gabrielle replied.

Anna looked her over, almost shyly. "About that scroll of yours. Well, I should have asked first."

"Forget it. It wasn't any good anyway. Right, Xena?"

The warrior princess only pulled up an eyebrow.

"Xena always proofreads my work. Don't you, Xena?"

Finally the warrior princess mumbled: "Yeah, proofreading is a real passion of mine. The grammar. The spelling. The structure. Her stories will change the world... But this one really sucked. I told her to burn it, but you know how these writers are. Queer folk."

Xena ignored Gabrielle's foul look and was all smiles to Anna. "I think I'm ready for a piece of that pig. Let's eat." And while looking over her shoulder to the bard. "Oh Gabrielle, bring some of that scroll, will ya? We could use some napkins."



Another day of travelling had almost reached its end. They deliberately stayed away from the main track and followed the banks of a small river. It was getting dusky when Xena dismounted and drenched her horse. "I think this is a good place to make camp. What do you think?" and she peered at Anna.

The gladiatrix examined the area and nodded. "Looks fine to me. She placed her sword against a tree and threw off her bear coat. Then she started to take off her boots and soon the rest of her clothes followed. Xena nudged Gabrielle who was staring at Anna's strong body as she splashed into the icy water. The blonde girl flushed and mumbled: "I was watching the scars on her back, okay."

Xena shook her head. "Yeah right."

The warrior princess watched Anna for a while and then whispered: "Those wounds are not from battle. She was flogged. A long time ago."

Gabrielle watched her friend closely. It was all too obvious what she was thinking. "It's no use beating yourself up on this."

"I can't pretend it never happened, Gabrielle. I can't."



Meanwhile Anna dried herself with the cloak and got into her clothes. As she wrenched her hair she noticed the change of atmosphere. She flipped her hair backwards and tied it up with the leather strap. "Something wrong?"

Gabrielle answered dryly: "It's called winter depression. How can you even bathe in the freezing cold?"

"It's not so bad once you're in there."

"I'll take your word for it." She sniffed her armpit. "Yeah, I think I can wait for the bathhouses in Batavia. You do have bathhouses over there, don't you?"

Anna shook her head. "Probably. We better make a fire. I'll collect some firewood."

"No, let me," Gabrielle got up and swung her arms a bit. "I need to keep busy, it will keep me warm."

When the bard was gone, Anna sat down on a stone, rubbing her hands.

Xena broke the silence. "I saw the scars on your back. Who did that?"

Anna clenched her jaws and put on her boots. "I don't want to talk about it. And certainly not with you."

Xena kept looking at her, calmly. "Was it Claudius?"

There was a strange emotion in Anna's eyes, something that the warrior princess couldn't quite grasp. But then she heard her say dully: "He said it was a learning experience."

"Son of a..."

Anna interrupted her harshly. "The most important fight of a gladiator is to conquer the fear of pain. And I did. Pain is endurable. He was a good teacher."

Xena shook her head. "Don't make excuses for him."

The gladiatrix got up and looked down on her. "If you really want to blame someone, I suggest you take a long, hard look at yourself."



Xena checked the prints on the road. "We're close to the limes," she said to Gabrielle.

"The what?"

"The northern frontier of the Roman empire."

Gabrielle turned to Anna. "Do you recognize anything?"

"Not things that are helpful. Claudius got promoted a year after I arrived in Castellum Fectio, we moved to Gaul. But I remember the scent. Fallen oak leafs, pine-needles. The colour of the meadows. The sounds..."

Her voice got unsteady and she quickly focused on the road ahead. "Let's get off this road."

Xena looked at her and then said: "We should split up. You can't just walk through the gates of that city. Not until we know if the word of your escape is out yet. You must stay here."

Anna threw her a measuring look. "And how will I know you're not going to rat on me?"

"I will leave Gabrielle behind." Xena gave the bard a quick look. "She means the world to me. I'm not taking any chances."

"Neither am I," the gladiatrix answered. "Don't take too long. I might get nervous and hurt your little friend."

Anna and Xena faced each other in silent warfare. Then Xena got on her horse. She looked down on the gladiatrix with eyes that seemed to burn into hers. "This is our battle. Don't forget that."



Xena entered the city on horseback, the young girl in front of her curiously looking around her. When she had reached the market, she dismounted and helped the girl off. Holding her hand, she led her towards one of the merchants. "Let's do some shopping," she grined, while the girl looked up to her with the eagerly anticipation of a child. As she firmly held the girl's shoulder, she asked the slave driver: "How much?" He looked the child over and friendly brushed her hair. He got down on one knee and smiled: "Seems your hair is made of pure gold. Can I have some?" The child laughed shyly and held Xena's hand tighter as she tried to hide behind her coat. The merchant got up again and mumbled satisfiedly: "Good teeth. I'll give you 20 dinars." Xena glared at him and snarled: "Make it 60. You know she's worth it." For a moment the man seemed to hesitate, but he was clearly intimidated by the looks of this tall warrior woman. So he took his money belt and gave her the coins. As soon as Xena got the money, she pushed the child forward, right into his suddenly less friendly hands. The girl turned in shock, disbelieve and total surprise were written in her eyes as she looked at Xena... But it didn't move the warrior princess, nothing ever could. She was about to turn around and walk away, when she felt the child's hands on her armor. Strong hands for a kid her age. They clung onto her, tearing up her cloak. For a moment she felt doubt when she looked into the girl's desperate eyes. But then a familiar coldness got hold of her and she pushed the kid away... She didn't look back once.



The warrior princess shivered and shook off the memories of so long ago. After almost 30 years she was back at the gates of Castellum Fectio. Only this time she was alone... A group of Batavian soldiers in Roman service stopped her, but when she showed them the letter of safe-conduct that Claudius had given her, they let her through. Xena had just reached a small square when she heard an uproar. A group of young men in chains were unloaded from a wagon and directed to a military compound, but a blonde officer got in their way.

"What is the meaning of this?" he shouted.

A Roman soldier bowed his head and said: "Direct orders from the general, sir. We were told to recruit soldiers."

"On a voluntarily basis, yes, not as slaves. Batavians are free citizens, they have always been. Remove their chains immediately."

"But sir..."

"That's an order!"

"Julius!" A grey horseman with a scarlet cloak around his shoulder looked angrily down on the blonde officer. "In my office. Now!" And he rode off.

As Julius passed her by, she noticed he had only one eye. And it didn't look happy.



That night Xena decided to go to a pub where a lot of soldiers walked in and out. When Xena had tied down her horse, she entered the inn and looked around. Most of the clients were ordinary soldiers, but soon enough she saw the blonde officer staring at a large jar of beer. She sat down next to him. "Bad day at the office?"

When the blonde man turned to her, he looked her over and said grimly: "Buy me a drink or piss off."

"Buy me a beer and I'll forget the insult."

At first the man thought that Xena was joking, but she didn't blink an eye. He started to laugh and waved the bartender to bring two more jars. He looked aside and said: "I am Julius Civilus, commander of the Batavian garde. And who might you be?"

"The name is Xena."

He looked at her intently. "The legendary Xena... I led the imperial guard in Rome, long after your attempt to kill Caesar. I heard you walked straight into his quarters." His one eye showed sparkles of amusement. "That would have never happened under my command."

The warrior princess took a sip from her beer. "Care to tell me why?"

"I'm blessed for losing an eye. The more you see, the less you notice."

"Interesting theory."

Julius gulped down his beer and slammed the empty jar on the bar. "So! What brings a legend to the outskirts of the Roman Empire?" Xena wiped a few drops of ale from her face. "General Claudius sent me here."

"To find that gladiatrix of his? My men are already on the look-out," Julius bellowed. "We are perfectly capable of finding a runaway slave."

"Maybe he doesn't trust you," Xena said provokingly. "After all, you are a Batavian, just like her."

The officer looked at her sharply. "I am loyal to Rome."

"But is Rome loyal to you? You saw what they did to your people. You're not free anymore."

Julius briefly smiled. "Nero is not Rome. His time will pass."

Xena got up. "That's not really helping your people, is it?"

And she walked off.



It was still light when Gabrielle and Anna made camp. They didn't start a fire, the city was too close by. Gabrielle took a new scroll from her bag and started to write. It was difficult because the cold made her fingers go numb. She blew in her palms and rubbed her hands, but that didn't help much. It wasn't long before Anna sat down next to her. She took off her bear cloak and wrapped it around the bard's slender shoulders.

Gabrielle looked at her in wonder. "Aren't you cold?"

Anna folded her arms. "Not really. Guess we Batavian girls have more fat on our bones."

The bard grined. "Then why do I see goose pimples on your arms?"

Anna smiled back at the bard. "Those are not goose pimples. That's isolation material."

Gabrielle laughed out loud. And as she spread out the cloak, she said: "Come on, this coat is big enough for the both of us."

And so they sat there, close to each other to catch the warmth underneath the bearskin. Gabrielle was about to put away her scroll and quill, but Anna stopped her. "What is it you write?"

"I write about my life with Xena. Our adventures, the people we meet..."

"Like a diary?"

"Yeah, you could see it that way." She gave the scroll to Anna. "Here, read it."

Anna took the scroll and stared at it for a while. Then she embarrassedly gave it back. "I can't read."

Gabrielle looked down. "I'm sorry. I should have known..."

"Forget it. Will you read it to me?"

And so the bard did. It was only a few sentences about their battle with Alti, but the Batavian woman was captured by her words.

"Now I really feel bad about spoiling that other scroll. And don't tell me it was a bad story. You're not a very good liar."

The bard scratched her head. "Sorry."

"Don't be. Good persons make lousy liars. It's a compliment. I could almost be tempted to trust you."

"I wish you would. Not everybody is out there to harm you."

"You haven't lived my life, Gabrielle. Take my advice: never trust someone you don't really know. Especially the ones who are nice to you. It can kill you."



The sun went down and darkness fell upon them. Gabrielle shivered. Her eyes roamed Anna's naked arm. Muscular, but still feminine. Her hands were strewn with scars, little reminders of past fights. Gabrielle wondered...

"You're such a great fighter. Why didn't you escape years ago?"

The gladiatrix sighed. "Flee to where? I have no family. No home. I have nothing to return to."

"You still don't. What changed your mind?"

Anna stared into the darkness. After a while she said: "I've never been afraid in the arena. I thought I was invincible. Until I realized that I hadn't met my worst enemy yet..." She looked at Gabrielle. "I can kill anything, except time. I knew that one day it would take away my strength and swiftness. So I left." Gabrielle nodded. "That sounds logical."

"You think I had other reasons?"

The bard lowered her eyes. "Well... from what we've heard from Lucia, we ehm, thought that maybe... you and Claudius..."

Anna's searching look made her feel even more awkward.

But then the gladiatrix said: "That woman has always been jealous of me." She smiled smugly. "And I can't blame her. He was obsessed with me."

"So you did have an affair."

Anna threw her a withering look. "Free citizens have affairs, slaves have sex on command."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..," the bard stuttered.

But Anna's expression already softened. "Claudius had sex with many slave girls, but not with me. To him I was a work of art. His masterpiece. And every time the crowd cheered for me, they cheered for him. Because he made me." "He didn't make you. He used you."

Anna smiled faintly: "Don't we all? That's the way of the world, Gabrielle."

"It's not my way. I'd like to think we're here to help people."

Anna looked her over and shook her head. "Someone like you shouldn't be with someone like Xena."

"You don't know her the way I do," Gabrielle whispered.

The woman next to her gazed at the stars and blew a cloud of breath in the cold air. "I know one thing though... Love is blind."

"So is hate."

They stared at each other for seconds. Until Anna said coldly: "Call me crazy, but I'd rather hate a slave driver, than love one." And she walked off to her bedroll.



It was almost dawn when Xena returned to their camp. She woke the bard and whispered. "Everything okay?"

Gabrielle nodded and wiped her sleepy eyes. "Yeah, it was cold though. And you?"

"The Romans know about Anna. But what's worse: the Batavians are not free citizens anymore. The Romans have occupied their land."

Gabrielle answered shocked: "Why?"

Xena hushed her up and whispered: "Nero needs soldiers and money for his war against Germania. And Batavia has crops and lots of young men."

The bard shook her head. "And now what? She didn't come all this way to become a slave again."

"We'll have to cross the border. Across the river Rhein, that's still free country."

"I can't go there," Anna said with a clear voice. She got up from her bedroll and fetched her sword. "That's the land of the Frisians. They hate our guts."

Xena got on her feet as well. "I don't think you have another option. You can't stay here."

The gladiatrix stared in the distance for a while. Then she said blankly: "Alright."

Xena's expression showed empathy as well as concern. "There's just one problem. The border is heavily guarded. And there's no way we can cross the Rhein without a boat."

"Then we'll have to steal one."

"Yeah Xena, we have faced bigger problems."

Xena cocked her eyebrow. "Wait till you see the security."



They reached the border after sunset. A strong wind seemed to blow right through their clothes. Hiding behind a group of trees they looked at the bank where a dozen small ships were moored. Overlooking it was a large building where a group of soldiers gathered around a big fire. But by the looks of the many horses that were tied to the trees, there had to be a lot more inside.

Gabrielle shivered. "There are at least a hundred of them."

Anna looked at Xena and said: "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."

Xena still had her eyes on the soldiers. "We just have to play it smart."

"Come on, Xena. This is out of our league," the gladiatrix replied.

But Xena watched the wind and looked at the boats. "Not if we get a little help. Gabrielle... Anna and I will take them on. That will give you time to set the boats on fire."

Gabrielle frowned. "Maybe a minor detail, but how will we cross the river without a boat?"

"The wind is coming from the west. Set the second boat on fire, the wind will do the rest." Gabrielle folded her arms and mumbled: "I knew that."

Xena smiled: "Yeah right."



Gabrielle sneaked towards the fireplace. It was left unprotected when the soldiers stormed at the two warrior women. The bard took a burning branch from the fire and ran to the boats. She threw the stick in the second boat and it didn't take long before it was set on fire. The howling wind did the rest. When one of the Romans realized what was going on, he alarmed his fellow soldiers but it was already too late. Gabrielle took the sais from her boots and welcomed the first furious soldier with a vicious jab in his thigh. She didn't have to wait long for the second. He came running at her and she had just enough time to pull back the knife and punch the man on his nose. The blood poured out of his nostrils. From the corners of her eyes she could see that both women were attacked by a dozen men, but they didn't look too worried. Nonetheless, Gabrielle dashed over to them and knocked over a Roman on her way. The sound of clattering swords was everywhere, but she could also hear something else... Horses!



Soon a group of fifty Batavian horsemen surrounded them. Everyone stared at the one-eyed officer when he roared: "Xena! Hand over the woman!"

But the warrior princess didn't blink an eye. "You want her? You'll have to go through me."

Julius dismounted and walked over to her, his sword still in his sheath. "And there I was thinking you were on our side."

"I am," the warrior princess answered slyly. "That is... if YOU are on the side of your people."

The commanders once haughty expression changed into a grim one. "Emperors come and go, Xena. Rome will find out that it cannot hold down the Batavians."

A smile play on Xena's lips. "Maybe this is the time to prove it."

One of the Roman soldier stepped forward and shouted: "Don't listen to the bitch. Kill her!"

Julius threw him a furious look. "Hold your tongue, soldier. I out-rank you!"

But the Roman soldier exchanged looks with his troops and smiled arrogantly. "Class out-ranks rank. Do your job, barbarian."

"Very well..."

Julius turned swiftly and beheaded the soldier. As he looked down at the rolling head, he hissed: "Is that barbaric enough for you?"

Then he drew his sword and shouted: "For Batavia! Attack!" Before the Romans knew what was happening, Julius' horsemen followed their leader into battle.



Unfortunately another legion was attracted by the huge fire and soon the grounds were swarming with soldiers. Xena knew they would not hold. Not even with the help of Julius and his men. She shouted to Gabrielle: "Take Anna and run for the boat. I'll be right behind you."

But just when Gabrielle and Anna had reached the bank, one of the soldiers set the last remaining boat on fire. The bard turned in horror.

Xena quickly exchanged looks with Julius. He said: "Can you swim?"

When Xena nodded he continued: "Help your friend, we will try to stall them as long as we can."

And that wasn't too long. Xena, Gabrielle and Anna had only swum a few yards in the icy water, when they heard the Batavian soldiers splashing behind them. They had soon reached them, for they were excellent swimmers and had little trouble with the strong current. The Romans however did. One by one they disappeared underwater, with or without the help of a Batavian opponent?

Gabrielle felt her strength die away as she battled against the waves, the wind and the cold. But just when her head went under, she felt a strong arm around her waist. When she came gasping to the surface she saw it was Julius. "I've got you, little one." While he dragged her along Gabrielle felt the energy flowing back to her body again.

When they finally reached the other side, she crawled on the bank. Trembling Gabrielle looked around her. All she could see were Xena, Anna and the Batavian soldiers. No Roman had survived the strong current.



It wasn't long before they had found a sheltered spot in the woods. A fierce fire was built to keep them warm and to dry their wet clothes. When Xena was sure that Gabrielle and Anna were okay, she walked over to Julius.

"Thanks for your help."

The commander took off his coat and hung it over a branch. His bare body was scattered with wounds from the battlefield. But he didn't seem to notice the blood.

Blankly he said: "I didn't do this for you. This is for my people."

"I know. What are your plans?"

Julius brushed his wet hair backwards and peered into the flames. "There's no turning back now. I'll have to recruit new troops to strike back. Castellum Fectio will be ours again."

"How many men do you think you can gather?"

"Five hundred," the commander answered, "maybe six."

Xena threw another log on the fire. "That's not enough. The Romans have six legions in the region. They will crush you. What about other tribes? I hear this is Frisian area."

Julius folded his arms. "Forget it. We are sworn enemies. They will not help us."

Xena cocked her eyebrow. "Don't be so sure. You know why your people are suddenly oppressed? Why Rome is recruiting young men? This isn't about Batavia. It's Germania they're after. Nero is quickly building an army to conquer it. He already has legions waiting just outside their southern border... Don't you get it? He needs this land to attack Germania from two angles. The Frisians will help you, Julius. Their future is at stake!"

The commander slowly began to smile. "I begin to understand why Caesar hated you so much... You are a better strategist than he is." He paused a while. "I will send word to the leaders of the Frisians and the Cananefaten, a tribe in the west. We'll see what happens."

The Frisians and Cananefaten had agreed to have a meeting in a holy forest. A day went by. And another. It was still early when the warrior princess lost her patience and woke up Anna. "What's taking them so long?"

Anna rubbed her eyes and threw her an angry look. "The sun is barely up! And I was sleeping, thank you very much."

Xena tapped her feet and her face still showed irritation. "We are wasting precious time. I know the Romans. They will have their legions at the northern border in no time."

She looked in the distance if there was any sight of Julius and his men, but there was nothing. "If they're not here in an hour, I'm going to that forest myself. Holy or not!"

Anna got up and put on her armor. "They'll be here, don't worry. Every meeting in the sacred forest takes at least two days. On day one they have a big feast while they negotiate. And on day two they discuss the same matter again, but this time in a sober state." Xena stared at her as if she saw water burn. "Like I said, we're wasting precious time. I'm going."

She had barely said it, when they heard the noise of horses speeding towards them.

Anna smiled. "Here they are."

"About time."

When the troops arrived Xena immediately noticed their red hair. They all had dyed their hair.

The warrior princess threw Anna a haughty smile. "Talking, hey? Seems they went to a beauty farm."

Anna didn't answer her smile. Instead she drew her sword and said coldly: "This means war, Xena."

Xena fenced her off with her hands and murmured: "Keep your socks down, it was just a joke."

A smile dawned on Anna's face. "You don't understand. We dye our hair red in times of war. So... if you will excuse me. I have an appointment with my hairdresser."



Only a week after their crossing of the river, they had gathered 5000 soldiers. From every corner of the land they came by land or river to their meeting point. A strange mixture of tribes, each with their own habits, but all faithful worshippers of the northern gods Wodan and Freya, the goddess of mother Earth. They were extremely well horsemen, excellent swimmers and very strong with spear and sword. And they were eager. Eager to challenge the mighty Roman Empire. Eager to fight and defend their soil. Tonight it would happen. This night they would cross the Rhein and march towards Castellum Fectio.

Julius walked over to Anna whose hair was now as red as the burning flames of the campfire. "I give you command of the second Batavian legion. Mauritius will be your second in command. Once we have conquered the castellum, you will hold the Batavian line. The rest of our army will try to push the Romans back to Belgica."

The gladiatrix stared into the distance. "If it's alright with you, I'll take the two women with me."

"That was not my plan. Xena's strategic insight might come in handy. I need her."

There was a moment of silence. But then Anna replied: "Xena risked her life to help me. I want her next to me when I walk through the gates of the castellum. I hope you understand."

Julius stared at her, until Anna looked away. Then he said: "Very well."



A thick layer of clouds hid the stars and moon from view. It was pitch black. Julius peered into the darkness, but all he could see in the driving rain were a few yards of the wild swirling river. He pulled his cloak tighter, while his red locks were blowing in the wind. In the distance he heard a thunderstorm approach, but it was still far away. "Perfect," he mumbled. He turned to Anna, Gabrielle and Xena and grined: "They won't know what hit them. In this nasty weather no Roman will dare to go outside."

Gabrielle wiped wet hair from her face. "But there's a watchtower on the other side, right?"

"It's the most heavily guarded one. A complete legion is waiting on the other side."

Anna raised her eyebrows. "Then why take the risk?"

Julius wanted to answer, but Xena beat him to it. "Their strength is their weakness. The bigger the legion, the bigger their sense of safety." The blonde commander nodded and then turned to his men. There where at least 2000 of them... "Listen up," he said with a booming voice. "This is the moment. The first battalion will cross the river and secure the horses. The second battalion will drive the Romans back to the Rhein. Remember... hold your positions until the third and fourth battalion have arrived." He paused and gave his men a piercing look. And then he bellowed: "To the boats! For Batavia!"

In the lashing rain the men rowed against the waves. With all their power they stuck their peddles in the ink black water, but the current was strong. Sticking close together they kept their rhythm as 'n sync as possible. Gabrielle and Xena tried to catch a glimpse of the other side, but all they could see were the boats in front of them...



The guard peered into the darkness, but saw nothing. He turned to the other four men who sat on the ground, closely against the stone wall that protected them from the howling wind. The roof kept much of the rain away, but they were still soaked. And although it was nearly freezing, the Roman soldier felt heated. He wiped off his forehead and grunted: "Am I really the only one who's doing his job?"

One of his mates looked angrily up: "You call this a job? Then Hades must be our employer cause this is f*cking Tarturus!" He sneezed and shivering from the cold he took a big gulp of wine.

The watchman shook his head and looked at the skies when he heard a rumble. "Great, that's all we need. A thunderstorm." Suddenly a thunderbolt lit up the skies... In a split-second he saw the river littered with boats. In shock he mumbled: "Boats. Hundreds of them. They're coming."

One of the soldiers got up with difficulty and stared into the darkness. "There's nothing, you fool."

The guard glared at him. "I saw them! The Batavians are coming. There were at least..."

His mate touched his forehead and pulled him away from the wall. "You have a fever. Come on, you're going to the sickbay."



Hundreds of men squatted down on the bank, waiting for their orders. Julius looked back and saw how most of the boats were already on their way back to the other shore. He concernedly looked up when another lightning bold lit up the skies. Fortunately it had not given them away. He looked at the men on his left. Julius made a few signs with his hands and they sneaked away. Then he looked to his right and silently gave this group their orders. When they had gone, the blonde commander peered at Xena, Gabrielle and Anna. "Once they're surrounded, we'll penetrate their camp and bring them into chaos."

He had barely said it or they suddenly heard men screaming.

Xena cocked her eyebrows and grunted: "Guess chaos has already started."



It went just as Julius predicted. The Batavians made sure that the Romans couldn't reach their horses, while the river cut off the other escape route. They had to fight. But fortune was not on their side. They were surprised in their sleep. And although they were tough soldiers, they were not accostumed to the rough weather. Their feet slipped on the muddy ground, their hands could not hold on to their wet swords and the pouring rain disorientated them. As the Batavian lines pushed them to the river, they suddenly were attacked from within. A dozen soldiers fell to the ground when a round weapon hit them. A panic broke out. They lost contact with their commanders and everyone went for their own safeguard. In the dark and the lashing rain they could only see so much, but every time lightning struck them, the sight was more devastating. And they knew they didn't stand a chance.



It was almost morning when the battle was over. Xena and Gabrielle kept close to the fire to warm their cold bones. One of the Batavians offered them bread and a chicken leg, but Gabrielle declined. The warrior princess took her food anyhow and peered at the pale bard. She lay a hand on her shoulder and said: "You should eat something."

But Gabrielle shook her head and stared into the flames. "I can't. I know why we're doing this, but still... They had families, wives, children. How can we say this is right?"

Xena wrapped her arm around the bard. "Think of the people you save from enslavement. That's your answer."

The bard looked up to her, her eyes wet from tears. "Maybe you're right."

Xena pulled her close and whispered in her ear: "You'll be okay."



Xena inhaled the cold air and relaxed her muscles. She looked around her... Nothing but bushes and birds. Pleased she closed her eyes and started to sway her sword. Lifting it above her head, gracefully slicing the air and always in balance. Suddenly she struck the blade backwards...

Its tip was only an inch away from Julius' stomach. He heaved a sigh of relief. "That was close."

Xena turned around smiling. "If we were in battle, you'd be dead right now."

"All the more reason why I'm glad you're on our side. Although I'm not sure why."

Xena put the sword in her sheath and murmured: "You know my history with the Romans."

"I know you had a thing with Caesar. But he's long gone... I can't help but think you have an alternative motive."

"You can trust me, Julius."

"I never said I didn't. Just tell me one thing. Is this about Anna?"

The warrior princess froze.

"I see... What do you owe her?"

"I'm the one who sold her to Claudius. How's that for an alternative motive."

Julius stared at the skies and mumbled something. Then he looked her straight in the eye. "A word of advice. Watch your back. This battle may get ugly."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Julius briefly smiled. "You figure that out yourself. You're smart enough." He grabbed her wrist and said solemnly: "Take care, Xena. It was an honor."



That same day they marched to Castellum Fectio. Julius had already left to join the western front. Now Anna was in charge and she walked on briskly with a grim expression on her face. After a few miles they saw smoke in the distance. Mauritius, Anna's second in command, cried out: "The city's on fire!"

Anna turned to Xena and Gabrielle in shock: "Those damn Frisians! I knew they would give us trouble!"

"No," Xena said calmly, "the Romans did this. When they retreat they make sure everything's burned down. One bright side though: it will save us a battle."

Gabrielle stared at the smoke and whispered: "I can't believe they give up so easily."

"They're not giving up, Gabrielle. They will wait for assistance in the south. We've only won the first strike."



That evening Anna's legion marched into the city. The Romans had set most of the houses on fire before they fled to the south. The air was filled with smoke, but the people were dancing on the streets and they cheered the passing troops. Gabrielle and Xena were soon captured by the crowd's enthusiasm, but there was no happiness on Anna's face. The bard playfully nudged the gladiatrix. "Why the long face? You freed your people."

Anna forced a smile. "I'm happy for them. But it's not over yet." She quickly looked at what used to be the prison. One of the few buildings that wasn't harmed by the flames. "We'll use this as our headquarter."

Right when she wanted to enter the building, a rider approached them at great speed. The horse hadn't even come to a full stop when the soldier jumped off and offered Anna a note. The gladiatrix unrolled the scroll, but then seemed to change her mind and gave it to Gabrielle. A light blush on her cheeks.

The bard quickly read it and soon her face turned pale. "It's from general Claudius. He wants to negotiate."

Anna remained remarkably calm. She glanced at Xena when she said: "I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees who he's negotiating with."

"Let Julius handle this, Anna." But the gladiatrix ignored the remark and addressed the messenger. "Tell the general that we agree in a meeting. Make sure he gets here safely."

When the Batavian soldier had disappeared, Xena grabbed Anna's arm. "You have to let Julius know."

The gladiatrix jerked herself loose and hissed: "Let him know what?! This has got nothing to do with our battle against the Romans. This is about Claudius and me. Do you understand?!"

Xena narrowed her eyes. "Listen to me, Anna. This is not the time to take revenge on him. Think of your cause. The people of Batavia!"

"I'm not planning on killing him. So back off!"



Gabrielle stared out of the small window from their bedroom. People were still dancing around huge fires while they raised their jars of beer. She moved away from the window and looked at Xena. The warrior lay on a small bed and stared at the ceiling. Lines of concern were written on her forehead.

"Dinar for your thoughts?"

Xena closed her eyes for a while and whispered: "I wish I could read hers."

Gabrielle sat down next to her. "You think we should send word to Julius?"

"No. I can't betray her again."

The bard nodded. "Do you believe her? I mean, about not killing him?"

"I'm not sure. That's why I'm going to keep a very close eye on her."

Gabrielle sighed, rubbing a sore spot in her neck. "I need a bath. A warm - no, let me rephrase that - a hot bath. My body and this weather don't agree. Besides, I feel dirty."

Xena looked concerned when she caressed Gabrielle's cheek. "Still thinking of yesterday?"

"Don't worry. I already feel better."

"Sure?"

The bard lightly kissed Xena's hand. "Yes. Guess I needed this. Your touch has healing powers, you know."

Xena pulled her closer. "I had a great teacher."



They both looked up when there was a knock on the door.

Xena sighed. "Whoever that is... I'm gonna kill him." Gabrielle grined, sat up and straightened her clothes. "Who is it?"

"It's me." It was Anna's voice. "There has been another message. Can I come in?"

"Of course."

The gladiatrix entered their room and looked almost shy, holding the scroll in her hands. "Would you read it for me? No need for my men to know..."

The bard jumped up from the bed and walked over to her. "I understand. Is it from Julius?"

The gladiatrix shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe. Can't read, remember?"

Gabrielle chuckled. And then everything happened so fast. There was Anna's dagger under her chin, the cold steel against her artery, the sudden grim expression on her face, her hard eyes, the steely grip of her arm around her body. And Xena's startled face. Never before had she seen her so upset, so full of disbelieve. Slowly Xena began to realize what was going on. "Don't do anything stupid, Anna," she said while she got up. "Put the knife down, we can talk about this."

But Anna pushed the dagger even harder against Gabrielle's throat, and the bard released a cry of pain. Anna shouted: "Take another step and your friend is dead!"

Xena raised her hand and quickly said: "Alright! I understand."

The gladiatrix smiled. "I don't think you do." And then she shouted: "Guards!"

Soon a dozen heavily armed soldiers entered the room, waiting for Anna's command. "Throw Xena in the dungeon. Don't leave her out of your sight." And while she addressed the warrior princess: "Don't even think about escaping. Gabrielle will suffer the consequences."

The warrior princess stuck her hands forward. "I'll give you no trouble."

"Good," Anna answered as she watched Xena get taken away. Then she bellowed to the remaining soldiers: "Tie the girl up." When Gabrielle's hands and legs were secured, the gladiatrix took both sai from her boots and tucked them under her own belt.

"You won't need those for a while." She stared into Gabrielle's astonished face. "Don't give me that look! All is fair in love and war, Gabrielle."



A few moments later Anna walked into a dark corridor that led to the dungeons. When she reached Xena's cellar, she told the guards to leave them alone.

Anna took Gabrielle's sai and stroke its blade over the iron bars. It made a cold, harsh sound.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I'm going to do with you?"

There was a touch of bitterness in Xena's eyes when she answered. "If it makes you feel better."

"Yes, it would," Anna replied smilingly. "You see, I have waited almost thirty years for this moment."

Her eyes grew cold and her face became a grim mask. "I could have escaped years ago. But there wasn't much point in doing that. By the time I was strong enough for vengeance, they told me the great Xena was dead. I hated you for that. You took away my purpose in life... killing you. And since I had nowhere to go, I decided to stay. Every time my blade tasted blood I thought of you, wishing it was your body lying there in the dirty sand and not some poor bastard. I'm not proud of it, but it kept me alive. Year after year. You can't imagine what went through my mind when I heard of your resurrection..."

When she saw Xena's surprise, she smiled knowingly. "Of course I knew about the little beauty sleep Ares gave you. News travels fast. I counted on that when I planned my escape. You would hear about it soon enough."

The warrior princess hung her head. "You knew I would follow you."

A glitter appeared in Anna's blue eyes. "Everybody knows you changed into a so called heroin. I knew you would feel guilty enough to come to my rescue."

"Clever. I must grant you that."

"It was more than clever, it was brilliant!" She pointed the dagger at Xena. "But I saved the best for last..."



There was amusement in her eyes while she play with the knife. "I could have killed you right away - and by the gods, how much did I want to. But you were still useful to me. Thanks to you I'm back in my homeland. But now I don't longer need you. Get the picture?"

"I don't care what you do to me, but leave Gabrielle out of this."

"Can't promise you that."

Xena grabbed the bars and hissed: "I thought you didn't hurt the innocent?"

"What can I say... I lied."

Anna smiled at the chained woman and walked away. But suddenly she stopped and looked over her shoulder. Casually she said: "Oh, I almost forgot... I decided not to kill you."

When she saw Xena's puzzled look, she laughed coldly.

"I'm going to sell you."



When the gladiatrix returned to Gabrielle's room, she found her tied up in a chair. Anna waved the soldiers to leave and removed the gag from the bard's mouth. She immediately burst out: "Are you, pffrt, insane?!"

Anna stood before her with folded arms. "On the contrary, I know exactly what I'm doing."

Gabrielle laughed from anger. "Then would you care to enlighten me, cause you've lost me."

"It's payback time, Gabrielle. Xena deserves to die. But I think selling her will give me more satisfaction."

Gabrielle's jaw dropped. "Selling her?"

"Yep. I think Claudius will pay quite a bit for her. After all, she double crossed him."

The bard shook her head in disbelieve. "I don't understand. I thought it was all behind you. You said..."

"...everything you wanted to hear. Come on, Gabrielle. You really think I would let her get away with this?"

"Anna, you can't do this. She helped you!"

"She helped herself and you know it! Face it, Gabrielle. She ruined my life and she'll pay for that."

Gabrielle swallowed down a sob. "I trusted you?"

For a moment there was a glimmer of compassion in Anna's eyes. But she quickly recovered. "I did warn you. Never trust someone you don't really know... Remember?"



General Claudius and his men walked in the big hall. He waved his soldiers to stay back while he approached the back of a gigantic chair. He coughed and said: "General Claudius at your service, sir."

He heard someone rise and a moment later he faced a redheaded woman. "Hello Claudius."

The general's jaw dropped. "Not what you expected?"

Claudius smiled. "No. But then again? you've always been a survivor. In a way I take pride in having trained you."

"You say trained, I'd rather call it tortured."

The general looked at her intently. "It would be very unwise to harm me. Rome would retaliate, you know that."

Anna removed some dirt from his cape. "I have no intention of harming you. I have a proposition."

Claudius raised his eyebrows. "Which is?"

"You will retreat your army to Belgica and bring word to Rome. We want full independence. No taxes, no oppression."

"You know Rome will never agree to that. We can wipe your people from the face of the earth!"

Anna cocked her eyebrows. "This is Batavia, Claudius. Cold winters, humidity, strange tribes that will attack every minute of the day... You're facing a long, hard battle."

"Don't be so smug. Batavia means nothing to us. It's a dot on the map!"

The gladiatrix glared defiance at him. "We are small, but you can't get around us. Not if you want to rule Germania."

She smiled when she saw the general's surprise. "We may be barbarians, but we are not ignorant. "

Claudius coughed. "I will bring the emperor your message."

"Good. But before you go... I have a peace offering for you. Guards!"



A few moments later they brought Xena in. Claudius couldn't believe his eyes. "Xena?"

"That's right," Anna smiled. "She double crossed you. She helped me to defeat your army."

The general turned to her in wonder. "And this is your thanks?"

Anna's face grew dark. "Xena and I have a history. A nasty history... How much did you pay for me?"

The general frowned. "What?"

"You heard me. How much?"

"Come on, that was ages ago."

"HOW MUCH!"

Claudius gave her a tiresome look: "Alright! Maybe a hundred dinars or so."

Anna smiled satisfiedly. "Excellent. You may have this slave," and she quickly glanced at Xena, "for the same amount. I would say, that's quite a bargain."

"I still don't understand..."

"Don't ask questions, Claudius. Just give me the money and take her with you. She'll make a great gladiatrix."

The general shook his head and searched for his money belt. He took a few golden coins and dropped it on Anna's palm. "You will never seize to amaze me. And for what it's worth, I have always respected you."

"Respect doesn't come with chains, Claudius." She waved her soldiers on. "Escort the general and his company to their camp."

And with a glance at Xena: "Goodbye Xena. I'll enjoy spending every dinar."

"At least let me say goodbye to her," Xena asked with clenched teeth.

But Anna coldly answered: "Request denied. Slaves don't ask, they obey. Better get used to it."



Two days had passed after Anna had told her the news. There hadn't been a sign of compassion on her face, not a trace of pity. She had to escape. But the ropes round her wrists and legs were tight and thick. The window was big enough, but she would never survive the jump. And the door was properly locked. Things were looking bad. Real bad. But she knew she had to try.

She hopped on her chair towards the door. Slowly but surely she reached it. "And now what?" she asked herself. She looked around if she could find anything useful, but there was only a bed in the room. She startled when she heard two pairs of boots coming down the hall. Quickly she posted beside the door.

She heard a key slide in the lock, there was a squeaking sound and the door opened. Standing in the doorway she heard one of them cry out: "Where is she?!"

Immediately Gabrielle pushed all her weight and power against the door and she heard a loud bang. But also the sound of swords drawn from their sheaths. She tried to get in the most upright position as possible and hopped away from the door. Soon she faced the angered soldiers. One of them had a nosebleed and he wiped the blood of his chin. "She's mine," he grunted.

He raised his sword and tried to slash her. But she hopped away and all he sliced was a piece of wood. Furiously he swung at her again, but this time the bard turned... He cut right through the ropes that bonded her wrists! With a fright she looked at her hands that were nearly chopped off, but there was no time for panic. Now that her arms were free she turned right back, finding her attacker ready to strike. As he lashed out, she quickly let herself fall backwards on her chair, and again the blade found nothing but thick ropes and wood. In a flash Gabrielle did a backwards somersault and got up on her feet. "Thanks for the help," she chuckled.



Now both men stormed at her and the smile on her face disappeared. She swiftly took the chair and used it as a shield. Soon splinters of wood flew in the air and in the end she only held one of the chair legs.

"Give it up, woman!" one of the soldiers said. "What you're gonna do with one little stick against two swords?"

"Now that you mention it, that does sound a bit unfair. How about a trade?" and she tossed the chairleg at him. In a reflex he tried to catch it, and Gabrielle took her chance. She kicked the sword from his other hand and caught it in mid-air. In a heartbeat the second soldier stormed at her, but she had enough time to intercept the blow. At the same time she kicked him in the crotch and as he doubled up, she knocked him out with the hilt of her sword. Immediately the other Batavian came at her again. With an enormous power he slammed the sword out of her hands. He heaved his blade and gave it another swing, but Gabrielle dived between his legs, crawled back on her feet, picked up the chairleg and slammed it on the back of his head. He was down and out. "Never underestimate a girl fighting with a little stick."

Gabrielle quickly closed the door and took the sheets from the bed. Swiftly she tied them together and hung them out of window. "Too short..." she sighed.

Then she looked at the men. Especially at their long trousers. "Hm, that might work."

She squatted down by one of them and started to pull his pants down. Soon enough she frowned and pulled up her nose. "Must be my lucky day. No underwear."

The bard worked quickly, for she knew the guards downstairs might wonder where their mates were at. She tore up the trousers and tied the cloth to the rest of the sheets. She peered out of the window, all was safe. In seconds she disappeared in the dark...



"You let her escape?!" Anna's face was red with anger while both soldiers hung their heads in shame.

"We? tried to stop her, but? she tricked us," one of them said, covering his crotch with his hands.

"I can see that," the gladiatrix hissed. "Tell Mauritius that I'm going after her."

"You want us to come along?"

Anna threw them a haughty look. "I think you proofed yourselves not fitted for the job. I'll get her myself. And find some clothes, you look like complete idiots."

Gabrielle had walked all night and her energy was slowly fading away. She hadn't eaten for a long time and it started to take its toll. Fortunately it had rained, so thirst wasn't her worst enemy. Light was. It started to get morning and she knew that by now Anna would have warned her men that she was on the run. If only she had been able to steal a horse... But there had been too many soldiers around the stables. She rested her back against an old oak and felt every muscle in her body ache. But she didn't grant herself much rest. She had to keep moving. She had to find Xena.

She startled when she heard a loud crack. Was it behind her? Or more to the right. She pricked up her ears and listened. But there was nothing. Still her eyes searched the ground for a weapon. She slowly reached for a branch...

Before her fingers could touch the wet wood, it was split into two by her own sai. In a fright she looked up and stared into Anna's eyes. In her raised hand she had the other sai, ready to strike.

"The stroll is over. You're coming with me."

"You will have to kill me. I'm not going back."

"I have killed before, Gabrielle. Don't think I would spare your life."

Gabrielle narrowed her eyes. "You keep forgetting. I've killed too." As quick as lightening she grabbed the sai!



Blood stained Anne's stomach as she dropped the dagger. With bewildered eyes she looked at the wound and collapsed. Gabrielle stood there paralyzed, the sai still trembling in her hand. In horror she gazed at the arrow that stuck in Anna's stained back. When the gladiatrix tried to get up, she snapped out of it. "Keep down," Gabrielle said and she picked up her sais.

She soon saw them: three horsemen, probably scouts. The one who had shot down Anna was nearby and now aimed his bow at her. The arrow missed her by a hair. She immediately took advantage of the fact that he had to fetch another arrow and threw her sai. She hit him right in his chest. As his horse galloped on, he slowly dropped sideways and fell off. The others were not far away now. Gabrielle didn't think twice and grabbed the reins of the dead soldier's horse. She jumped on it and reached out her hand to the deadly wounded gladiatrix. "Take my hand!"

There was a glance of disbelieve in Anna's eyes. Then she shook her head. "Save yourself. There's no time..."

Gabrielle turned her head and saw that the two troopers were only yards away. She swiftly turned her horse and stormed at them. One of the soldiers raised his sword, but hadn't expect Gabrielle's attack. She slid sideways and cut his girth. When she looked back she saw the Roman lying on the ground. She commanded her horse to a turn and pursued the other Roman. He had also turned and now came gallopping towards her. Just when he wanted to lash out to her, she made her horse make a sharp left turn. It passed right before the other horse which staggered and threw off its rider. Gabrielle kicked her heels in the stallion's flanks and rushed over to Anna, who looked as white as death. Gabrielle reached out her hand again. Impatiently, because she was well aware that the two Romans were still alive. "Get up! I'm not leaving without you!"

Anna's eyes revealed fear. Panic. It had a paralyzing effect on her, for she didn't move a muscle. Gabrielle fixed her gaze on Anna's eyes and even though she spoke softly, her voice was firm and commanding: "Take my hand, Anna. Don't think, just do it. NOW!"

Trembling the gladiatrix reached out her hand. With all of her power Gabrielle pulled her up on the horse and off they went.



It had taken her two hours to reach the castellum. As soon as she arrived at the Batavian headquarter, she was surrounded by soldiers. One of the Batavians drew his sword and pointed it at Gabrielle, but Anna's faint voice stopped him: "Leave her alone. It's okay."

The soldier still looked at her distrustfully, but put his weapon away.

While the men carried her inside on laid her on her belly, Mauritius, her second in command said: "Where is that bloody doctor?"

Soon a little grey man entered the room and started to examine Anna's wound. They were all watching him impatiently, until he nervously turned around and murmured: "Get me some linen, your purest gin and a red hot poker."



It was three hours later when Gabrielle saw the doctor coming out of the room. "Is everything okay? Will she make it?"

The old man wiped the sweat from his forehead and said: "Yes. She's a remarkably strong woman. Remarkably. Oh, she's asking for you. You may see her, but don't make it too long. She needs her rest."

Gabrielle thanked the man and hesitatingly entered the room. To her surprise she found Anna sitting in an upright position.

"Shouldn't you be lying down?"

A grimace covered Anna's face. "Doctors... I think I know my body better than he does." She looked the bard straight in the eye and said: "Why did you do it? Why save me?"

"I can't let someone die."

Anna shook her head. "What about Xena? I don't understand you... I thought she was your best friend. Your soulmate."

The bard looked down and whispered: "That's why she will understand."

"I seriously doubt that. Claudius isn't going to keep her as a pet, Gabrielle. He will kill her!"

"Don't you think I know that?!" The bard fought against the tears. "It was the right thing to do. Xena would have done the same thing."

"But not for the right reasons. She's all guilt."

"Makes it real easy for you, doesn't it? Having Xena as an excuse for everything you do."

They looked at each other in cold anger. Finally Anna said: "I know I'm not a saint, but I had every right to take my revenge on her."

"Well, you got what you wanted. How does it feel? Is it as sweet as they say?"

The gladiatrix didn't answer.

Gabrielle's expression softened by the second. "You don't have to answer. It's written all over your face."

Anna stared at her, but still kept quiet.

"Revenge never works, Anna. I know you want to believe it, because it kept you going for so long. But it's an empty promise. Xena's death isn't going to take the pain away. You're a fool if you believe that."

She paused a while and then said softly: "You've come all this way to be free again. Don't be a prisoner of your past."

Gabrielle turned to leave, but the gladiatrix stopped her. "Where do you think you're going?"

The bard kept on walking. "I'm going to find Xena. Try and stop me."

"Guards!"

In seconds soldiers barred the door, leaving Gabrielle no chance to escape. With difficulty the gladiatrix got out of her bed. She straightened her back and walked over to the furious bard.

"Don't give me that look." Anna's face was wrenched with pain, but she managed to smile. "We'll go with you."

And then she addressed the soldiers: "Saddle the horses."

Gabrielle looked at her in utter wonder. "You can't ride, not in your condition."

But the gladiatrix stubbornly adjusted her bandage. "I'll survive. You concentrate on your friend."

Gabrielle looked at her intently. "Are you sure you want to help Xena?"

"I'm doing this for you. Let's go."

Claudius folded his arms while he looked at the chained woman in front of him. "You leave me no other option. Conspiracy against the Roman Empire can only lead to one thing and that is death."

Xena looked him straight in the eye. "Then bring it on."

The general grined. "I don't think you quite understand what awaits you. It would be too easy to just hang you. That's so... barbaric. And personally I'm really bored with crucifixions. Did you know it sometimes take days for a convict to die?"

Xena didn't answer.

"I'm much more a man of action. That's why I organized a little game. One last chance to show the people what a wonderful warrior you are. Isn't that nice of me?"

"You know what would be really nice? You against me."

The general laughed out loud. "Forget it, Xena, I know your reputation. Besides... I like to watch."



Xena stood in the center of a small arena, surrounded by walls and wooden stands above it. The crowd yelled at her, calling her names while archers watched her every move. But they all became silent when general Claudius rose and roared: "Citizens of Belgica, I give you the warrior princess... Xena. She will face death in this arena, for she betrayed her mistress: Rome. Let the games begin!"

The crowd cheered. Xena watched the doors in anticipation, clenching her fists. She had no armor, no weapons. Suddenly the doors opened and five gladiators walked in. One black slave carried a bludgeon, a blonde guy had a lance in his hand, another gladiator brought a shield and axe along with him and two others depended on their swords. It wasn't supposed to be a match...



They surrounded the unarmed Xena, but she didn't seem intimidated. Instead she gave them a challenging look and hissed: "What are you waiting for? For mommy to come pick you up?"

The gladiators looked at each other. Angry for being laughed at. And they assaulted. They all ran for her. Only seconds before the warrior with the lance would reach her, she flipped in the air and landed a yard away. He could not avoid the crash... His long weapon disappeared into the intestines of his fellow gladiator. As the deadly wounded warrior dropped his axe, Xena picked it op and swung it above her head. Her face was all grin. And that made her opponents even more furious. The blonde gladiator pulled his lance out of the corpse and stormed at her. Xena had her eyes on him, but she suddenly threw her axe at the African warrior. He had not at all expected this sudden attack and the blade entered his unprotected chest. Meanwhile Xena shifted her upper body to avoid the incoming lance. And again when he tried to stuck it into her ribs. His third try didn't fail... The iron tip entered her side, and she lost balance. Her attacker immediately anticipated and used both ends of the lance to beat on her ribs. Just when he thought that the warrior princess was going to lose conscience, she suddenly grabbed the lance with both hands and twisted it until the gladiator could no longer hold on to it. As soon as he let go, she gave him a butt of the head! As he stumbled backwards, she grabbed the lance with both hands, stuck one end in the ground and pushed off. With a tremendous force she kicked his chin with both feet. He was out.

She had her back against the only two gladiators left now. But she heard their every move. They came storming at her, next to each other. Same speed. Close by now. Exactly at the right time she flipped backwards. As she landed right behind one of them, she thrust the lance in his back. He was long dead before he hit the ground. There was only one gladiator left. Xena intercepted the blow from his sword, but the iron spearhead of her lance broke off. The gladiator smiled viciously and cut off pieces of the wooden pole, each time he lashed out with his blade. In the end Xena only held a piece of a few inches.

"Time to die," he hissed and raised his sword.

"You got that right," Xena answered, as she thrust the sharply cut off pole in his carotid artery. The gladiator's expression couldn't have showed more suprise, when she pulled the stick out and blood poured out of his body.

The last gladiator was down and out. You could hear a pin fall in the arena, nobody moved, nobody spoke. Xena looked at general Claudius. His face pale, but his eyes burning with anger. Suddenly he jumped up and screamed: "Archers! Kill her when she moves!"

He threw the warrior princess a furious look. "It isn't over yet, Xena. You wíll get what you deserve."

Then he commanded to his troops: "Remove the corpses and their weapons. And then send out the beast."



Xena watched the soldiers drag away the gladiators. She knew that Claudius would never let her leave the arena alive. He would give his archers the command to kill her, if he had to. Even if it meant defeat, a disgrace. And for a moment she considered the option of provoking the firing squad. But in a way she was curious about Claudius' next weapon. So she waited.

Minutes went by and the crowd became impatient. They wanted to see blood. And they didn't really care if it was Xena's or somebody else's. But suddenly everybody held their breath when the doors opened. Even Xena's eyes became large when she looked at her adversary.

An enormous bear growled at her! His eyes were bloodstained, his teeth white with foam, his fur covered with blood. It was apparant that the Romans had tortured him with spears, just to make him angry. And he was. As soon as the doors closed and he saw the woman in front of him, he roared, showing his incredible big teeth. Xena gritted herself as the animal stormed at her. She wanted to leap in the air, but his mighty claw slammed her down. The blood dripped from her shoulder and she could see the marks of his nails. The bear got on his hind legs and roared again. The crowd got wild and began to scream: "Kill her! Kill her!"

Xena stumbled on her feet and a stab of pain flashed through her left shoulder. It was clearly dislocated. The warrior princess gritted her teeth and tried to think. But there wasn't much time. The bear was on four legs again and suddenly leapt forward. Xena turned quickly and ran for her life. The crowd laughed as they saw her flee, knowing that there was no escape for her. She was surrounded by walls.



With the enraged beast breathing in her neck Xena ran as fast as she could. But her shoulder was heavy and she was fighting to stay conscious. He was closing in, so near behind her. In a flash she saw something lying on the floor, something shiny. Too late, she thought. She couldn't stop now. No, she had to go on. With a last burst of energy she ran against the wall and pushed off. Off-balanced, because of her shoulder, she smacked to the ground. The bear could only just prevent himself from clashing into the wall. Xena feverishly searched the ground... There it was: the broken-off spearhead of her lance. Without giving it another thought she cried out her war cry, jumped on the bear's back and thrust the blade in his neck. The animal roared with anger and shook her off, but it was too late. The blade had entered his spine and he dropped dead to the ground.



Xena breathed heavily as she got on her feet. She grabbed her left shoulder and gave it a jerk. The pain was almost unbearable, but it died away when she felt the bone get back in its proper place. She wiped away the sweat on her forehead and saw that Claudius had left his seat. Soon the doors opened and he came walking towards her.

The crowd was silent, eagerly awaiting the events.

"You fought well," he said, keeping a safe distance and giving his archers a clear shot on Xena.

"Spare me your compliments."

"Very well. It would have been so much more becoming if you had died a warriors death. But you leave me no choice... Any last request?"

"Not one you can grant me."

"Suit yourself." He bowed his head and whispered: "It has been a pleasure."

Claudius raised his voice and shouted: "In the name of Rome, I sentence this woman to death. Archers!"

He lifted his hand.

Xena looked at her executioners.

Claudius's hand dropped?

Suddenly chaos took over. The wooden stands on which the archers stood collapsed! A cloud of dust filled the air and people screamed as they tried to get out. Claudius drew his sword and turned with a grim mask to Xena. "Seems I have to finish you off myself!"

He was in the middle of swaying his blade at her, when he seemed to freeze. The light in his eyes slowly died as he stared at Xena. Then his knees no longer were able to keep the weight and he collapsed. A red arrow stuck from the back of his skull. When Xena looked up, she stared into the face of the archer. It was Anna...



Anna and her men had tied ropes around the wooden pillars of the stands. The horses had done the rest. The stage collapsed and in the confusion the Batavian troops had no trouble with overpowering the Romans. Anna walked towards the center of the arena and stopped next to the dead body of Claudius. She squatted down and whispered: "Attacking from the back is not my style. But then again, you didn't deserve an honorable death. See you in hell, Claudius."

Anna got up again and walked over to Xena.

There was a mixture of surprise and gratefulness lying in the warrior princess' eyes. "Thanks."

"Thank Gabrielle. She can be quite persuasive."

Anna laughed but her expression changed when she felt a sting of pain in her stomach. She hid it well, but Xena had noticed. She immediately saw the bloodstains on Anna's clothes.

"What happened?"

"I bumped into a Roman arrow. If it wasn't for Gabrielle... Well, we both owe her."

The gladiatrix drew Xena's sword from her sheath. "I believe this belongs to you. Someone told me that it's not the past that matters. It's doing the right thing, despite the past. I guess that's what you're trying to do."

Xena took the sword and stared at it, confused, almost dazed.

"Anna, I..." The gladiatrix interrupted her. "It's time we both moved on with our lives. I might never be able to forgive you, but I can let you go."

Xena clenched her jaws, fighting back the tears. "Are you sure?" Anna reached out her hand. "No. But I'm willing to try."

Finally Xena took Anna's wrist and they stood there for a while. Then Anna abruptly let go and became her collected self again. "Take good care of Gabrielle. She's special."

A few moments later Gabrielle found Xena. She embraced her friend and only let go when a painful moan escaped Xena's mouth.

"I forgot, you're wounded," the bard murmured with a guilty look on her face. "Are you okay?"

Xena smiled. "Never been better."

Gabrielle peered at Anna, who gathered her troops and was about to leave. "Who would have thought she would save you."

Xena clung her arm around the bard's shoulder and lightly kissed her forehead. "Maybe she had help from an angel."

Gabrielle looked up and grined. "Who knows."

She pointed at their horses. "The Batavian guard found them. What do you say we head back to Greece."

The warrior princess smiled. "Sounds good to me."

When Xena reached her horse she took the reins, trying to hide the pain in her shoulder. As she put one foot in the stirrup and one hand on the saddle, Gabrielle said: "Need a leg up?"

Xena looked indignantly down on her. "Don't even think about it."

"Alright," the bard said, secretly smiling. "Just asking."

They had ridden for some time, but Gabrielle could not tell how long it had really been. A thick grey blanket covered the sky and the sun was nowhere to be seen. The bard wondered how long they would have to wait for dusk. But a glance on Xena's pained face made that question redundant.

"I've had it," Gabrielle said. "It's cold, it's dark, I have saddle-soreness... Let's make camp."

Xena's expression showed a mixture of emotion and indignation. "You don't have to spare me. I'm fine."

But the bard dismounted anyway. "Good, cause I need someone to build a big fire. I'm freezing."

Xena couldn't help but smile and dismounted as well.



It wasn't long before the bard lay on her bedroll next to the fire. Gabrielle covered herself with the thick bearskin she got from Anna and rubbed her cold nose. "I can't wait to feel the warmth of the sun. I don't know how these people can live here."

Xena lay her sword next to the bedroll and crawled under the skin. "In the end you get used to anything."

"Is that so, hey?" And Gabrielle stuck an icy foot between Xena's calves.

Xena shrieked. "Alright, you made your point. Keep your feet away from me."

"Or what?"

"Or... I'll take the tourist route to Greece."

"You wouldn't!"

"Do you really want to find out?"

Gabrielle removed her foot, just in case. She propped herself up on an elbow and traced Xena's nose with her finger. "How's the shoulder?"

Xena gazed at her through her dark lashes. "Good enough," she answered slowly.

The bard's finger now followed the lines of Xena's lips. "How about your ribs?"

"Getting better by the minute," the warrior answered huskily.

Gabrielle's finger slowly went down, tracking the throbbing artery in her neck and finally resting in the hollow of her collarbone. Then she lightly kissed the skin underneath it. "Does this hurt?"

Xena closed her eyes and murmured: "In a nice kind of way..."

Gabrielle slowly let her lips play with the flank of her neck. "And this?"

"Sensitive..."

Gabrielle moved over to Xena's earlobe. "I'll be extra careful," and she traced Xena's auricle with her tongue. "Is this gentle enough for you?"

The warrior princess shivered when she heard Gabrielle breathe in her ear. She grabbed the back of her head and led her mouth to hers. After a long deep kiss, Gabrielle whispered against her lips: "Are you sure you're up to it?"

Xena smiled seductively. "No harm in trying..."



When the bard woke, Xena was already up. Gabrielle yawned and watched how the warrior princess cleaned the deep marks of the bear's claw on her shoulder.

"Let me clean that wound for you."

Xena glanced at her warmly. "No need. I'm almost done."

The bard got up anyway and looked concernedly down on her beaten up friend. "How are you feeling?"

Xena loosened up her muscles and answered: "A bit stiff. But that's not strange, considering."

A smile play on her lips when Gabrielle said: "Told you we should practice more often. You're getting rusty."

Xena playfully lashed out at the bard with her wet cloth. "I was referring to my little get-together with a bear." "Just kidding," Gabrielle answered while she checked out some bloodstained scratches on Xena's other shoulder. "I should put some ointment on your back as well. That grizzly left his marks everywhere."

Xena looked over her shoulder and cocked her eyebrows. "I'm afraid that's your work." Gabrielle gave her a shocked look. "I did that?"

"U-huh."

The bard flushed. "By the gods..."

She walked over to her saddlebag, while Xena secretly grined. To her surprise the bard found a brand new scroll between her other stuff. She took it out and examined the red ribbon that held it together more closely. "A braid from Anna's hair," she whispered.

She showed it to Xena and said: "Can you believe that? She gave me a new scroll! That's so sweet. I never expected her to do a thing like that."

Xena's eyes glowed. "Well, Anna has a way of surprising people."

Gabrielle sighed as she sat down next to Xena. "Don't remind me. When she told me she was going to sell you... I never saw that one coming. Well, who could have?"

Xena kept silent.

The bard's face became red with anger. "Don't tell me you knew of her plan! Cause if you did..."

"I didn't! But I think Julius tried to warn me. He said something about being stabbed in the back. It didn't dawn on me then that he was referring to Anna. But I think he saw right through her."

"Not bad for an one-eyed man," Gabrielle giggled.

"He had a theory about that. The more you see, the less you notice."

"That's so deep!" Gabrielle cried out. "I think I'll use that for my story about Anna and Batavia."

Xena began to pack their stuff. "Don't forget to mention my name once in a while."

"Don't worry. You'll have plenty of scenes. Mostly action scenes of course."

"Are you saying I have nothing sensible to say?"

"No. But let's face it, you're not exactly talkative."

"Hm."

"I rest my case."

Xena mounted her horse and looked grumpily down on her. "If you have nothing nice to say, then I suggest we get going."

Gabrielle smiled. "You're so touchy."

"I guess that's a yes." And she spurred her horse.

The bard quickly jumped on her horse and went after her.

She soon rode alongside her. Gabrielle peeped at the warrior's stern face and tried not to smile. "Slow it down, will ya. I want to make up. And as proof of my good intentions, I'll promise to pen down a memorable quote from your lips."

"Too late," Xena grunted.

"Come on, this is your chance to save your words of wisdom from oblivion."

"Alright." Xena pulled her horse to a stop. "How about... If you can't beat them, pinch them!"

Gabrielle's reaction wasn't hopeful. "Mwoah."

"Okay. If you think life's hard, try my sword. How's that?"

Gabrielle gave her a pitying look. "This is your gift to mankind we're talking about. Can't you think of something a little less violent?" "Like what? Make love, not war?!"

"Xena, that's great! People will use that line centuries from now. I should jot it down right away."

The warrior princess gave her a warning look. "Gabrielle, don't even think about quoting me!"

"Can't do that, Xena. As a bard I have a duty to pass on a beautiful phrase like that."

"You know what? I decided to take the tourist route to Greece after all. I hear Siberia is quite lovely this time of the year."

"Now, hold on. Would sweet talk help?"

"Save your breath."

"Alright. Just one thing though..." Gabrielle secretly looked at Xena. "That bear scar really becomes you."

Xena threw her a pitying look. "Oh please!"

There was nothing secretive about the way Gabrielle's eyes lingered on her friend's body now. "It gives you something... wild."

"Not listening," the warrior princess answered sternly, but her voice revealed a hint of interest.

Gabrielle smiled and continued on a sultry tone: "It's very sexy. Makes me wanna touch it."

"Hm. Go on."

"Keep heading south and we have a deal..."



The End!