~ Bastard Out of Macedonia ~
by Firefly
Disclaimers:
Copyright: Xena and Gabrielle are owned by MCA/Universal. I borrowed them. The story is mine. I hold the copyright.
Sex: It is hinted that there are same-sex feelings, but nothing is consummated. Consider this a story that would fit in front of the millions of "Gabrielle Losses her Virginity" tales. Think of it as foreplay, Sweeties.
Timeline and Spoilers: Probably set in the first season sometime. No spoilers.
Length: Short and only one part. No long-term commitment required.
Bastard Out of Macedonia
By Firefly
Providence led them to the cave, but not before getting drenched. Xena found some dry wood and tender to start a small fire. Gabrielle strung some twine on which to dry their things. Each changed into their sleeping shifts that thankfully stayed dry at the bottom of Argo's saddlebags. Gabrielle resuscitated some jerky and sun-dried veggies into a decent stew.
"So who's this King Nephro and why did he summoned us?" Gabrielle asked the warrior. The summons arrived early this morning while they were staying at the home of a grateful village elder. A local thug who fancied himself a warlord had been terrorizing the village. Xena made short work of him. Xena said little to the messenger and less about the summons. They just forfeited rest in a grateful village and took out for upper Macedonia. Now they were wet, cold and stuck in a cave. Such was the life of the hero and sidekick.
"Nephro is the son of a very successful warlord I new from my 'Destroyer of Nations' days. His father, Tyro, was well established when I was just starting out. Luck and shrewdness provided Tyro with considerable wealth. He was ruthless, but fairer than some warlords were, and he gradually amassed villages who would pay him tribute for protection. As time went on, Tyro changed his focus from plundering to ruling and eventually built himself up to being a minor king. Quite a warlord success story; he developed something from his conquests and died in his sleep. Last I heard, his son had taken over the kingdom. I've not dealt with Nephro so I can't say what sort of man he is?
"The summons was cryptic. It did indicate that Nephro is concerned about a power-struggle in his kingdom. I'm not sure what he wants us to do, but if he's anything less than a benign ruler, I won't help him."
They sat in silence awhile watching the fire. When Gabrielle first started traveling with Xena, the stoic warrior's fireside chats were limited to utilitarian commands such as 'Start dinner, I'll go look around.' Eventually those commands softened into requests 'Would you start dinner while I look around?' After time, Xena opened up to Gabrielle's story telling. Finally, even the silences between the two women had become comfortable and companionable. Gabrielle had come to expect that this was about as much camaraderie as she could expect from her stoic companion. While she delighted in being Xena's sidekick, the extroverted bard got lonely for the bustle of her family and village.
After traveling for three days they arrived at Nephro's palace. Gabrielle was exhausted but excited to see such an old castle. She expected a new fort, but this place looked old, maybe even Egyptian.
Several of the villages they had traveled through did seem to be safe, clean and if not prosperous, not subsistent either. Xena had noted this. Nephro's sound governance might earn him the aid of the warrior princess.
Xena and Gabrielle were admitted to the king's audience chamber immediately upon arrival. Gabrielle had hoped there would be time to rest and refresh, but Xena was all business.
"Xena! I'm so glad you've arrived. You and your servant must be hungry. Send in some food!" Gabrielle bristled at being called a servant, but was too polite to object. Xena didn't seem notice the slur.
"Everyone, wait outside the chamber. And bring food for our guest." The novice king commanded. Servants and guards seemed perplexed about whether they were supposed to be in the room waiting on the guests or outside, giving the king privacy.
"Get to it, Nephro." Xena said. "Why are we here?"
"Um yes, well?" Nephro waited until the last courtier had left before he continued. He drew in a deep breath; "my kingdom is in grave danger. One of my father's old generals, Mephtious, claims my father wanted him to take the throne. Mephtious says my father thought I was week to govern and he has a letter from my father indicating this. Indeed, I am no warlord. My father is to blame for this as much as anyone. He sent me to the academies in Athens. Father's concern was the development of a dynasty to rule this kingdom. Most of the populace would indeed prefer me as king; I am just and fair. I also have plans to develop this kingdom for the good of all citizens. Mephtious just wants to use the treasury to raise an army and continue his warlord ways. Unfortunately, the part of the populace that follows Mephtious is the army. Mephtious has brought in new recruits with the promise of plunder and glory. Defense and domestic peace-keeping doesn't interest the young, hot-headed solders."
"So what do you want me to do about it?" Xena arched an eyebrow. "Recruitment for just this kind of army was one of my many skills as a warlord. Besides, as king, there will always be challenges to your power. You might as well start dealing with them early."
"I do intend to deal with the problem, Xena. But without an army, my resources are limited. That's why I asked you to come. I have a plan but it requires your assistance. Xena, I need you to fight Mephtious. Not his army, just him. I think I can make the army see him as a weakling and a failure if my champion defeats him. With Mephtious out of the way, the farm boys can be settled down."
"I'm not an assassin." The tall warrior woman sneered. "Take out your own trash, Nephro."
"You misunderstand: I can't have Mephtious assassinated. That would only make him a hero. I need him defeated, beaten down. That's why I'm asking you, Xena. If Mephtious fought against a lesser opponent, he might very well win. This would only increase his sway over the populace. The safety of my kingdom rests with this one fight. I need the best to defeat Mephtious; I can't leave anything to the chance of a lesser warrior. Once Mephtious is vanquished, I'm sure I can get the hotheads to clam down. My people are really just farmers at heart, Mephtious plays on their egos and desire for adventure. He is the driving force behind this conflict."
Nephro hesitated. "Another part of the problem is that I'm not the legitimate king; Tyro never married my mother. She was a concubine, one of his favorites. He loved her but didn't marry her. He hoped to make a political marriage. She was poisoned when I was little. Something to do with harem. Anyway, my father never made me his legal heir. For the longest time he held out for a political marriage. In his last days he wrote me saying that he would make me his legal heir, but he died before he could sign the decree. There may have been foul play; his trusted councilor, Ameious disappeared shortly after the kings death."
"So I defeat Mephtious, you reason with the new recruits, this episode establishes your ability as a ruler and we all live happily ever after," Xena said sarcastically. Then she noticed the young king was indeed serious. "Fine. I'll defeat Mephtious. As I remember, he was a real turd back in the bad old days. You're on your own for dealing with the army though. One good test of a king is how well he can keep the army under his control." Gabrielle thought she saw the young king swallow nervously.
"I'll deal with Mephtious in the morning," Xena said confidently.
"Actually, he's not a the castle now. He's out on patrol in the hinterlands. He should be back to the castle in three day's time."
When they arrived at their quarters, they found that they had only one room. The castle's chief steward must have assumed that Gabrielle was a servant who slept at the foot of the mistress's bed.
"It's okay Xena, there's plenty of room for the both of us. After all that traveling I don't think either of us wants to sleep on the hard floor." Gabrielle conceded. Usually when they camped for the night, Xena set her bedroll on the far side of the fire. They only slept together on the coldest of nights. Sleeping next to the powerful warrior's body gave Gabrielle a real sense of security.
"I'll need time to set Mephtious up," the warrior in question was saying. "Our fight should be in a public place; the more witnesses the better the publicity for the king. Besides, I want to poke around and get a feel for the king's influence -- and treatment of his subjects. His father could quite cruel during his warlord days. I'm not up for fighting Mephtious only to be viewed as someone who murdered the champion of the people."
"I could help. You know how good I am at getting people to gossip. I could be your scout."
"No Gabrielle. You'll be safer in the castle. Why don't you just work on your stories and relax for a few days?"
Gabrielle began to protest but Xena cut her off: "Gabrielle I mean it. This situation is very volatile. I don't want you in harm's way. Besides I won't need you to help me figure out the best possible way to call out Mephtious. You might try exploring the castle. Maybe it will inspire some stories for you; it's really quite old. Built by Egyptian refugees. As I remember, Tyro defeated a hydra that had holed up here. It was one of his most acclaimed feats."
'Great!' Gabrielle thought, 'first Nephro assumes I'm Xena's maid and now Xena is pulling her lone wolf routine.'
The next morning, Gabrielle awoke to find Xena gone. One of the castle servants brought her breakfast and seemed quite put out that Gabrielle slept while her "mistress" was already at work. The servant hinted as much by pointedly saying that Xena had been gone for hours and wasn't expected back until late that evening. Gabrielle didn't bother to apologize. The help didn't have any right to think she was a servant. Gabrielle wasn't haughty, but she did have some pride.
After her breakfast of scrambled eggs and nut-bread, Gabrielle started to work on the latest story. She thought of the best way to begin the tale of the grateful villagers, but nothing came to her. Maybe she would explore the castle. With Egyptian architects there were probably some interesting things to see. Maybe after some exploring Gabrielle would venture down to the market place and restock their supplies. Besides, dinars to nut-cakes, she bet she could get a better feel for the regular folks than the heavily armed, overly direct warrior.
When she left the room, Gabrielle tried to head down into the bowels of the castle. In her limited experience, dungeons and other nifty spots were located in the belly, not at the spires. The head cook intercepted her. "I don't know why your mistress lets you laze about, but you won't be swiping the silver from here! Out you go."
Gabrielle slunk out of the kitchens, but as soon as she rounded a corner, she began looking for a way down to the dungeons. Eventually, she realized the dungeons were nowhere to be found. 'That's odd, I've never heard of a king so benign that he didn't have dungeons? I think I'll have to do more exploring later, but now I want to get down to the bazaar and check the going prices for things.' No one could case a market like Gabrielle.
Vender's offering produce from local farms and merchants from far and wide crowded the market-square. These were both good signs about Nephro. Merchants would avoid kingdoms where the highwayman held sway, so there must be rule of law. The fact that local farmers had enough crops left over to sell probably meant taxes were reasonable. Today's trip to market was about checking out prices at various venders, tonight she would figure out what supplies were most urgently needed and tomorrow start dickering with the traders. Smells of roasting nuts caught Gabrielle's attention -- or rather, her stomach's attention. Up ahead was a reasonable looking tavern. It didn't even seem seedy. She decided to stop in and see if she could get in on the local gossip.
"Barkeep. A cold cider, please. And some roasted nuts." The barkeep was a young fellow, a little older than Gabrielle. Gabrielle gulped her drink. She hadn't expected a hard cider, but it was tasty. "My name's Gabrielle. I'm just passing thru. I work as a traveling bard."
"My name's Tobin. My father owns this tavern."
"Really. Business looks good. So how are things in Accapa? What do you folks do a round here for fun?"
"This time of year folks are pretty busy getting the planting finished. In a month there will be the town fair, I' definitely looking forward to that. Um? what kind of stories do you specialize in?"
"Travel, adventure, some classics -- but not the boring ones. Would you like to hear about the time Xena defeated a Cyclops?"
"Xena?! The Destroyer of Nations? Isn't she evil?"
"No, a few years back she changed her ways. She even saved my village." Gabrielle replied. She had since learned to automatically add the 'saved my village' part; people never believed her with out this added testimonial.
"Really? I'd like to hear about that." Tobin said.
"Well it all started?"
Xena had inspected the town. The front side of the castle had earthen ramparts and what may have once been a moat that was now filled in. While she didn't mind it as a fighting location, the potential to draw a large audience was slim. A large crowed was necessary to give Nephro the chance to interpret the fight to as many people as possible. It was simply a matter of good publicity. Next she check the market place. No doubt a fight here would draw large crowds, but bystanders could get hurt, not to mention damage to property. Just off the square was an open area, probably for additional vendor's that might show up during festivals. As an added bonus, there was a portico on the castle nearby. The king could be in position to interpret the fight for the people? If he could. Now that she had a good idea of where the fight was to take place, she wanted to get a feel for what kind of ruler the king was. There was a tavern ahead; maybe she could learn something there.
Xena's eye's adjusted quickly in the tavern and fell on familiar form. "What are you doing here?!"
"Xena?" a bear sized man asked incredulously. "What brings you to this kingdom? As if we didn't already have enough trouble. And why are you alone?"
Xena held her palms up in a sign of peace. "Ursa? I left the warlording life behind. It took me longer to figure out than you, but I finally left the warlording life. How about you? Did you really take up the plow?"
"Yes. I have a small farm and a large family not far from here."
"What brings you to this pit? Surely your wife doesn't know you slip away to this sort of place? It's not exactly a family establishment." Xena teased her former lieutenant.
"Actually, I am here on family business. My eldest son Kelptus left to join Mephtious's elite guard. Mephtious is a turd - well I guess he's not that bad, " her former enforcer paused to see Xena's reaction. "Maybe I'm just over protective, but I don't want my sons to choose the violent life I once had; they may not be a lucky as I was. Kleptus has visions of glory?"
"It's okay, Ursa. Actually, I was wondering what the situation was like around here." Xena paused; she knew the best way to make Ursa comfortable about talking would be to level with him. "Nephro asked me here to help stabilize the kingdom. He said Mephtious was the root of problem with this kingdom?I'm checking out the king's story. So what's your take on Mephtious?"
Ursa let out his breath. "Mephtious is a turd. He's the sort of turd who floats --the last to sink. I'm worried for my boy."
"Well maybe I can talk some sense into him. Kids don't often listen to their parents, but maybe a stranger can get through to him. I'll travel to Mephtious's camp tonight. Ursa, could you deliver a message to a friend of mine?" Xena knew reaching Mephtious would take about a day and half of traveling, but in addition to scooping out the fight location she wanted to get a look at the man and his forces. She planned to travel mot of the night, and into the morning. With any luck she'd dine with Gabrielle tomorrow night.
"I have something for you to deliver as well?" Ursa said with a sly grin.
Before long Gabrielle had collected quite and audience for her stories. Tobin kept the cider coming, after she had made it clear that she wanted the unfermented kind. Gabrielle whiled away the afternoon, telling tails. Finally she decided to call it quits for the day.
"You're a good bard. Normally we pay the entertainment in lodging or food. I've still got one good room available. " The young man leaned in close with a devilish smile on his lips. "Honestly though, the cooking around here is so bad I'd recommend talking the room. The bedding tastes better than my father's cooking."
"I heard that!" Came a gruff voice from behind Gabrielle. There stood an older, plumper version of Tobin, with tray of food. "For stories as good as this girls I'd gladly pay food and lodging."
Gabrielle's stomach made itself known. "I've already got lodging for the night, but that looks wonderful."
After eating her fill Gabrielle excused herself and headed back to the castle. The enthusiasm of the crowd for her stories prompted her to explore the castle further; maybe she would find some new material here. The evening meal was being served and the kitchen was bustling with servants and cooks. Gabrielle grabbed a tray laden with food and wound her way through the kitchen, avoiding the head cook at several turns. The head cook was harried and didn't notice as one tray full of food was taken not to the dinning hall, but to the back of the kitchen, towards the cellars.
Gabrielle exchanged the tray for a lamp at the maw of the cellars. Without slowing, she moved out of sight down the main passage. On either side of her were rooms of foodstuffs. She just missed being caught by an inebriated groomsman as she passed one of the multitudinous wine cellars. 'I had no idea how much wine it takes to be king. Hades, this castle could almost float in what's bottled up down here.' She went over to one of the largest casks. It was the largest barrel Gabrielle had ever seen. It was resting on its side with smaller casks buttressing it on the sides. On one side of the round lid there was a spicket. As she walked closer, the flame on her lamp flickered. The closer she got the more the flame danced. With on trembling hand she grabbed the spicket. It turned effortlessly and the massive lid of the casket swung into itself. The rush of air extinguished the lamp. Gabrielle quickly slipped inside and pushed the door/lid closed behind her. She held perfectly still for a moment. Then she remembered she needed to breathe. Fighting to keep her breathing steady and still, she noticed that her eyes were growing accustom to the dark and the seemed to be a light ahead.
"Did the door just open?" Came a rough voice from what should have been beyond the bottom of the barrel. "I'm going to go check it out."
Gabrielle hid against the side of the barrel, but it was solid rock. Apparently the casks was just a door to a hidden chamber. It was lucky for her that the lamp blew out. Darkness was her best cover. A stocky guard came tromping down the tunnel. He held a torch but the niche Gabrielle was in was deep enough and far off to the side of the door. After the guard went back down the tunnel Gabrielle, followed.
"It was just your imagination." Said the stocky scout.
"I think we should post sentries at the mouth of the dudgeons. It's only for tonight. Better safe than to fail Mephtious." came the reply.
Gabrielle peeped around the corner and caught a glimpse of about thirty soldiers. Some were playing lots; others were napping on bedrolls. "I'll be glad when the attack starts tomorrow. I'm sick of being cooped up in here." One mean looking fellow said to his buddy.
She also noticed what looked like a large birdcage hanging high in the center of the room. It held a wizened old man. Gabrielle pulled back into a hollow along the cave wall as the lone, grumbling, sentry passed. She was trapped. Her mind raced. Fortunately the hollow she was in was large enough that she could hide for the night. If she could avoid detection when the soldiers left tomorrow, she might be able to follow them out. She wished she could warn Xena but there was no way for her to get past the sentry.
Long into the night she listened to the solders. Most of there conversation was "tavern talk", centering on boasts about prowess with women. Several interesting tidbits did come her way though. It seemed the man in the cage was Ameious, the former king's confidante. Some of the solders wanted to kill him for sport, but the voice she had come to think of as the leader said Mephtious wanted him alive. Mephtious apparently thought he might prove useful later.
So Gabrielle started think of ways she could get him out after the solders left tomorrow.
That same evening Xena came upon quite a surprise. She was nearly in Mephtious's camp before she realized it. Fortunately the cover of darkness blessed her. After leaving Argo grazing in secluded glen, she stealthily slipped into camp. Most of the men were gathered around fires. Gazing into the light meant their eyes weren't adjusted to the dark-more cover for Xena. Slipping past the sentries was easy for her. All total she counted about 25 well-armed men. From bits of conversation Xena gathered they were headed back to the castle. One sentry standing ramrod straight at the edge of the camp caught her eye. His girth meant he might be Ursa's son. Was that a tinge of red hair? She quietly stole near. A quick jab to the right pressure point and the boy was stunned. Xena hauled him closer to a clump of bushes. "Are you Kleptus?" An alarmed face nodded. "Don't call out." She gave the surprised lad a large melon.
"You like it?" Xena asked. "I bring a message from your father. He thought you might want to know how the seed you developed was doing. It looks pretty good to me and it's only the middle of the growing season. He also wants you to come home before you become the sort of man he hates." Xena relaxed her hold on the lad. "If you won't listen to your father, listen to me. I've spent the better part of my days killing, raiding and pillaging. Now I'm going to spend the rest of my days trying to make amends. If you're not fast and lucky it's a waste of a life. If you're not fast or lucky, it's a waste of a short life. Think about it." Xena paused, "What is Mephtious doing so close to the castle? Nephro isn't expecting Mephtious back to another two days."
The boy wasn't going to be cooperative enough to let Xena in on Mephtious's plans, but he did look surprised that Mephtious wasn't following King Nephro's orders.
"I have to go now. Don't call out; I'll be gone before your comrades can act and then you'll just look like a fool. Think about what I said. This life leads only to killing of being killed. Neither is good." With that the dark warrior disappeared into the night.
After a sleepless night Gabrielle heard the talking die down and the rustle and bustle of the solders arming. This was it. Gabrielle nearly held her breath as the line of men marched past. When she was sure they were all gone, she crept into the room. High in the center of the room was the little man in the birdcage. She spoke to get his attention. He jerked awkwardly in the confined space. "Save your self little girl! This is no place for you."
She ignored him, why was everyone underestimating her? Maybe it was a blond thing. Gabrielle followed the suspension chain to a location on the wall. She didn't think the old man was light enough she could lower the weight of him and the cage to the ground safely. Then she had an idea. She estimated the distance from the bottom of the cage to the ground. Then she guessed the same distance from the pulley at the top down the chain to where it was secured on the wall. She took her belt and wrapped it trough and around that link of chain. Hopefully the belt would stop the chain going though the pulley. Gabrielle used her body weight to pull the chain slack off the hook securing it. Then she let go. The cage dropped, stopping a few hands before hitting the floor. It bounced and rocked at the end of the chain. Its occupant gave a cry, but seemed unhurt. "Are you alright?" Gabrielle asked.
"I'll live. I'm really glad you judged the distance so well. Now what about the lock? Its not strong."
Gabrielle found a long length of wood. "Do you think we can pry the door open?"
"Maybe. I'm not as strong as I used to be, but between the two of us?"
They struggled, pushing on the bar, trying to bust the lock. After several minutes of straining and splintering wood a little the hinges on the door gave way.
"Come on, I've got to get you out of here so we can warn Xena and the king." Gabrielle grabbed the old man and dragged him from the chamber.
"I'm telling you, Mephtious is less than a half day from here." Xena said impatiently. Kings were always asking for here help and then ignoring her advice.
"Are you prepared to meet him?" The young king was testy when awakened in the early hours of the morning, but now he was alert and thinking fast.
"Yes I can meet him and beat him. How exactly should we start? The area just off the market square would be best."
"Yes that location would work well. It's close enough to the front gates; when Mephtious arrives we can be ready for him. I was thinking I might start by saying?"
Gabrielle hauled Ameious thru the tunnel, and out of the cellars. The old man was in no shape for a forced march, but there was no time to spare. Xena and Nephro needed to know about the solders, if it wasn't already too late. Besides, the warrior was protective. Gabrielle knew Xena would be worried that she hadn't come home last night. Not that her news would set Xena at ease, but at least they would be together. When they first traveled together, Gabrielle felt guilty that Xena had to be so protective of her. Later, as she learned to handle herself in the wide world, she resented the fact that Xena still treated her like a hatchling. After several heated discussions about Gabrielle's growing savvy and skills, Xena agreed Gabrielle was not helpless. The warrior trusted her partner to handle her share of highwaymen and tavern riff-raff. Still, after any fight, Xena always checked to make sure Gabrielle was unhurt. More than once, Gabrielle saw that her mentor would exhale after verifying the bard was unhurt, almost a though Xena had been holding her breath, dreading that Gabrielle might be wounded. When she first noticed this, the young bard attributed it to unspoken over-protectiveness. Lately though, Gabrielle had learned to take comfort in the dark warrior's concern. Life with Xena could be lonesome at times, but the concern in the powerful warrior's eyes reminded Gabrielle that she was cared for.
Gabrielle's thoughts came back to the present as they neared the light, warmth and bustle of the kitchen. They traversed the kitchen most of the way without getting snared by the fearsome head cook. Gabrielle snagged a loaf of bread; Ameious drooled in hunger. "We've got to keep moving!" Gabrielle commanded as she handed him the loaf.
Shortly they reached the king's antechamber. It was empty and there were no guards on sentry. Fearing they were too late Gabrielle headed for the market square. Judging by the proximity to the main gate, she figured that would be where any show down between the king and Mephtious would take place.
As Gabrielle rounded the corner in the market place, Ameious was still in tow, she saw her friend stride out of the square on the far end. Xena was cutting a wide swath; as always people tended to steer clear of the powerful warrior. Gabrielle hurried Ameious along.
Out of breath, Ameious sagged to the ground near the edge of the market. "I? can't? go any further. Go? and warn the king." He panted. "I need to catch my breath."
Gabrielle hurried in time to hear Nephro say from the balcony, "Mephtious has stolen your sons for his army and now he marches on his own ruler. This treachery must stop."
"What are you going to do Nephro? Send out your guards to slaughter the sons of your citizens? I think not. Hand over the crown, boy!" Mephtious snarled.
"To save blood shed and spare the lives of the misguided youths that follow you, I propose a fight of champions. Mephtious, pick your representative."
Mephtious scowled. It was for a good reason that he lead his army, no one could beat him. "I accept! Send out your best man."
"I've got a better idea: how about the best woman!" Xena cried as she moved from the edge of the battleground. She stood in the center of the gathering, and bowed low to King Nephro. "Would you allow me to teach this cur a lesson?"
Nephro smiled and nodded.
Mephtious and Xena squared off. "You choose the weapons, Mephtious." Xena said with a smile.
As Gabrielle was about to enter the battle ground she noticed the contingent of troops gathering quietly in the market. More men joined them through the front gate. If those troops trouped in on Xena, the dark warrior would be caught like a wolf in a trap. Just then a large man started to approach her. She looked for a place to run to, but vender carts surrounded her and vegetable stands. She gripped her staff, ready to fight.
"Are you Gabrielle?" The bear-like man asked.
"Yeah? who wants to know?" Gabrielle tried to seem confident as her mind raced: how did this guy know her?
"Xena sent me to give you a message, but I couldn't find you - never mind. Listen, we've got to slow Mephtious' soldiers down or there's going to be a lot of unnecessary blood shed."
"Any ideas on how to do that?"
"I see by your staff your amazon. I assume that means you fight quietly but don't kill except when necessary. If we could work quietly from behind, we might be able to thin their ranks."
"Right with you."
Ursa began walking purposefully towards the stables, as though he were looking to run from the brewing battle. That was just a ruse to let him flank the contingent on one side. Gabrielle played the dumb blond who was to busy shopping to notice the pending fight. By whistling and hooting at her, several of the soldiers played dumb too, only with them it probably wasn't an act.
Gabrielle tried to seem nonchalant about the unwanted attention; her goal was to get to the back of the column of men and start whacking away. So much for sneaking up on them. Then she noticed Ursa was in position and she decided to use herself as a distraction for him. She challenged the nearest hooter.
"Your mother should have taught you some manners. " And with that she bitch-slapped him. He was stunned for a moment and then made to lunge at her, but this was a dance she had perfected on the road in many a seedy tavern. She dropped low, brought the lead end of her staff up, nailing him between the legs and sending him flying over her to land dazed on his back. As his compatriots laughed, Gabrielle "accidentally" poled the biggest one in the gut. She moved so fast that his fellows didn't see the blow and though he was gripping his stomach in laughter. Next she moved behind the circle of on looking troops and began whacking. Several guys had started to clue into the fact that the petite blonde was attacking them, but pride kept them from sounding any alarm. In between blows, Gabrielle noticed Ursa flinging soldiers right and left. The huge man had this single-handed swat maneuver that was truly impressive. Some of the more scrawny soldiers were lofted rather high. As the ranks of soldiers thinned, a few of Ursa's neighbors joined the bear-man. Shopkeepers and merchants improvised weapons and took to pounding on the soldiers Gabrielle and Ursa had not quite finished off. One large soldier was coming right at her. At the last minute he deflected a blow from one of his officers. The large soldier struggled with the solider that had nearly stabbed Gabrielle in the back. Apparently one of Mephtious's men had already switched sides. This soldier was knocked to the ground. Ursa helped him up and smiled proudly at him. Gabrielle noticed the family resemblance.
By now Xena was making short work of Mephtious. He had chosen broad swords for the duel. Xena expected as much. When facing a woman, men picked heavy weapons that their opponents couldn't handle. It was a reasonable strategy. Or maybe then again, it was a phallic thing. Xena preferred short swords, but having her opponent wield the massive five-foot long, two-handed sword slowed anybody down. She knew that Mephtious would fixate on the blade, making it his only method of attack and defense. Truth was, Xena would use her sword to keep him distracted and focused on the blades, but she would land quick body blows. She would kick his ass along with every other inch of him. When he reared back to strike his first blow, Xena nailed him in the stomach with her foot. Mephtious staggered backward. Xena kept driving forward, spin-kick, spin-kick. When he finally righted himself, Xena did a back flip and landed both feet into his shoulders, knocking him to the ground. His collarbone made a nasty cracking sound as they landed with her weight on his upper arms.
The king and the crowd and the soldiers remained silent for an instant. Then the older people, the ones who remembered Mephtious from his days as a warlord's henchman cheered. King Nephro breathed a sigh a relief. Xena stepped off of her foe. The few remaining soldiers made a hasty retreat.
Gabrielle reached Xena. The dark warrior had several bleeding scratches, but looked at Gabrielle with concerned eyes. Gabrielle relished that look of concern in her friend's eyes.
"I'm okay. You're the one who's bleeding -- let me look and your arm."
The brutish warrior brushed her off, "I'm fine. The bleeding will stop soon."
While the women were fussing over each other, Mephtious staggered to his feet. Xena whirled, broad sword ready, but she saw the broken man was not a serious threat. He shouted at the king, "You may have won this battle, but you're still just a bastard. You don't have a legitimate claim to the throne."
"That's not true!" rang a voice from the market square. Ameious stood to face the king and the people. "Tyro had signed documents dictating that Nephro was to be his heir. I witnessed the signing myself. Mephtious captured me but not before I hid King tyro's proclamations. Nephro is the king, LONG LIVE THE KING!"
Nephro had insisted on celebrating their victory immediately. While her stomach craved food, Gabrielle wished there had been time to clean up first. Xena didn't seem to mind, she just wiped the blood off and followed the king into the great hall.
Through the meal and the numerous toasts that followed, Gabrielle hardly spoke to Xena. Maybe it was the fact that Gabrielle had brought a new friend, some innkeeper's son. Still, Xena expected the young bard to nag her about leaving the town without her. None of the gods could force her to admit it, but the stoic warrior liked it when the pretty blond demanded to be in her company. It gave her a secret rush to know the budding woman craved her companionship. Beneath the armor and fierceness beat the heart of a true romantic. Xena knew, however, it was only a matter of time before Gabrielle decided to forsake the wandering life. Some fellow would catch the bard's fancy and she would settle down. Xena tried not to get attached, but Gabrielle was so entrancing.
Gabrielle realized that Xena hadn't asked her where she had been that night. Maybe the warrior thought she had been in Tobin's bed. She would let Xena think whatever she wanted.
Later in their room, Gabrielle finally broke the silence. "Listen, Xena, just so you know, I wasn't out fooling around last night. Sorry to leave you here by yourself, but I found Ameious and got kind of trapped and had to spend the night in the old dungeons."
"You weren't here last night? So you didn't get my message from Ursa? I was out scouting all night."
"Oh." Gabrielle said. "So you didn't think I been with Tobin?" She blushed.
"I didn't even know you weren't here last night." The warrior held her breath, "So, do you like him?"
"Oh Xena, you ask me that about ever decent guy we meet. All three of them, anyway. He seems nice, but sort of dull. Don't think you're going to get rid if me that easily. By the way, " now the bard was indignant, "what's the big idea going off with out me?"
"Sorry I didn't think I would be gone as long as I was." The destroyer of Nations smiled inwardly while looking apologetic. Finally, Gabrielle was fussing over her.
"Well another thing, I'm not your servant, and I don't appreciate you letting people like the king think I am."
"Yes. Um?" Xena looked down at her hands. "Well, to begin with, I wasn't sure the people of this kingdom supported Nephro or Mephtious. If their loyalties were to Mephtious and I defeated him, there might be a mob reaction. I felt that by hiding your importance to me I might protect you if this scenario played out. That's why I let Nephro think you are merely my servant. I want you to know that I respect you too much to think of you as my servant. And judging by all the toasts in your honor tonight, neither does any one else."
Xena held Gabrielle's gaze for a moment, then turned away. This girl was fifteen years younger than her, just starting life. As much as Xena wanted pull the young woman into her embrace, she didn't want to take advantage of her friend. Late some nights she would look up at the stars and thank whichever god it had been that had put Gabrielle into her life; the girl kept Xena from slipping into the abyss. Many a time when a battle had rekindled the fiery warlord's heart, one look at the sweet bard quenched Xena's desire for power. The sweetness in their friendship held Xena back from the brink of evil more than once. She wouldn't jeopardize that friendship by giving in to her cravings for Gabrielle. Losing Gabrielle was Xena's greatest fear.
"Um? are we okay then, Xena? Are you okay?" Gabrielle was looking at her with befuddled concern. "Where did you go just now?"
"Oh sorry. I must be tried, I haven't slept in two days." And with that, the powerful warrior turned her back on her greatest fear and went to bed.
The End
The Athenaeum's Scroll Archive