Love/Sex Warning/Disclaimer: Love, sex, subtext, you name it it's here. So if a loving relationship, or just plain good old fashion hot sex, between to adult women offends your delicate sensibilities. Please, feel free to move on! Also if you are under eighteen, shoo! Scat! Scram! Go away! Get the picture?
This story takes place somewhere between The Convert and Endgame. It's my way of dealing with all those feelings and issues between the Warrior and the Bard that never really got addressed in Bitter Suite, etc. Least not well enough to suit me! This is a work in progress. Was taking me forever to finish, so I figured I would post what I have and if enough folks like it, I'll finish it!
Please feel free to praise, feed, stroke or otherwise encourage the bard! I love email! Constructive comments are also welcome! 'Nough said! On with the show!!!
Part 1
CHAPTER I
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The two women plodded silently down the road to Athens. Argo's hooves kicked up little clouds of dust as she amiably trailed behind the dark haired Warrior. Xena sighed deeply and wished fervently for a cooling breeze or a light shower. Anything to ease the scorching heat of the day. All of Greece lay parched and thirsty under the sun's relentless glare. Both the land and her people longed for the rains to come and bring the seared countryside back to life.
The blond haired, green-eyed Bard carried on a silent conversation with herself. Her lips moved without speaking and her hands waved delicately in the air as she worked out the plot of her next story. All of Greece would soon hear of how the fearless Warrior Princess single handedly ended the war between the armies of Megara and Corinth wielding nothing but her intelligence, cunning, and good sense. The two city-states had been caught up in an ongoing battle over rights to the land bridge between mainland Boeotia and the Peloponnese peninsula. The fighting had started over whom had the right to claim the taxes and tolls paid by traveling merchants and caravans moving between the two provincial areas.
Xena had no trouble at all arbitrating a treaty between the two battling municipalities once she kidnapped prince Phormio of Megara and the princess Aegina of Corinth. Well, she hadn't actually abducted them? The two young regents had been in love for some time and desired nothing so much as to be wed and bring peace to their ravaged homelands. They were most willing participants in the Warrior's charade. As this was not known to the current rulers, King Sysiphus of Corinth and King Miltiades of Megara, the frantic sovereigns made haste to meet with Xena. They quickly drew up the terms, of a treaty, which allowed the former combatants to share jointly in the profit and protection of the area in dispute. Xena and Gabrielle were hailed as heroes of the people and sat at the King's banquet table after the wedding of the young lovers. Gabrielle sighed. It had been such a lovely wedding and the bride had looked so beautiful. The little Bard cast a longing glance at the tall, muscular Warrior walking in front of her and sighed again. 'As if she would ever think of me in that way, as a desirable woman. I don't care what she says, I know deep inside she still thinks I am a child and that my current devotion to non-violence is yet another passing fancy of my youth.' "Hmph!" Gabrielle grunted, muttering quietly to herself, "If you ask me, I'd have to say that age and experience definitely does not ensure wisdom and insight!"
Oh well, back to work! 'Hmmm?' the Bard pondered silently, 'How should I start the story. I sing of Xena, greatest Warrior in Greece. Defender of the down trodden and champion of justice, who single?No! No! No! Let's see?I sing of Xena, Warrior of the raven hair, famed for both her intelligence and beauty?mmm?Lush red lips, olive skin, so soft?soft as?and those breasts, those magnificent breasts!' The Bard's hands caressed the air in front of her of their own accord. 'Er, um?ahem! Yes, her breastplates, her armor made of polished bronze, which sparkles in the sunlight like... Hades! But it was warm today!' the Bard mused. She fanned her reddened cheeks idly with a sweaty hand. Then blew out a breath which caused her short white-blond bangs to fly up off of her forehead.
Gaia! It was hot! Hotter than Tartarus! Tee! Hee! A swim in a cool stream sure would feel good about now. After all, they were still several candlemarks out of Athens. A small thrill ran through the Bard, at the thought of returning to Athens, for the festival of Dionysius. Oh! The food, the music, the shopping?The food, the Bard's Academy, a few nights in an inn?. the fish cakes and the sweet breads?mmmm?.Gabrielle's stomach rumbled as if on cue. She quirked a fine blond eyebrow when the Warrior Princess failed to comment on her protesting, yet predictable stomach. "Xena! Oh, Xena!" the Bard called out in a singsong voice. "Gaia, to Xena! Helllooo!!!" Gabrielle skipped her way up to the Warrior's side. She grabbed Xena's hand and pulled it to her chest, as she turned around to walk backwards, nearly bouncing up and down in her growing excitement.
"Xena?" Gabrielle chirped. "Mmmm?." The other woman replied not taking her eyes off the road ahead of them. "Isn't there a stream just up ahead? I mean don't you think we should stop for lunch and maybe take a little swim?" Xena glanced down at the Bard and was unable to stop a small smile from flitting across her lips. 'Hades!' Xena admonished herself, jerking up her head, and clamping her errant lips together tightly. 'How can just a look from her set my heart to pounding like a lovesick girl! Get a grip on yourself Warrior. That's not somewhere you can go?for many reasons.' A quiet whisper called out from the depths of Xena's mind, she betrayed you?betrayed you?betrayed you? and echoed slowly away into the darkness. To love her would be foolish to trust her so deeply with your heart would be the death of your soul. Xena shook her head slightly, willing the voice to be silent. 'No, her heart cried out, Gabrielle would never betray me again. Never!'
Pulling herself together, Xena looked sternly down at her young companion. "I really would like to get to Athens before dark, Gabrielle. We are supposed to meet Hercules and Iolaus at the "Cock and Bull" for dinner, remember?" Gabrielle giggled out loud. "Figures those two would want us to meet them there." "Xena arched a brow at the Bard's sudden outburst of mirth. "Er, uh?You know Xena?they're both so testosterony! I mean there are as many legends about Herc and Iolaus's Romantic conquests as there are stories about their heroic deeds." Gabrielle elaborated. "You don't need to explain your little joke to me Gabrielle. I got it. I just didn't think it was all that amusing." Xena said condescendingly. "Oh, of course Xena, sorry" the Bard warily replied with a slightly perplexed look on her face. "But that's not for lots of candlemarks and I'm starving now!" the Bard asserted, her irrepressible grin once again lighting up her face. The Warrior reached into Argo's saddlebags and withdrew the packet containing their trail rations. She tossed the bundle to Gabrielle without slowing her pace. "But, Xeeeennnaaa!" the Bard cajoled. Xena just pursed her lips tightly together again and continued to walk silently along the road.
"Fine! Just fine, Xena! But you'll be sorry when I pass out from heat exhaustion, when I perish from want of a decent meal, when I shrivel up and?" "Ga-bri-elle" the Warrior said warningly. "I know! I know! You hate it when I whine." The Bard gave one last exasperated sigh as she rolled her eyes. Shoulders drooping in defeat she fell back to sulk along behind the Warrior and her big palomino war-horse. Argo turned her head to look at Gabrielle and nickered softly as if in sympathy. The little Amazon smiled and mouthed a voiceless, "Thank You" to the mare.
Gabrielle kicked absently at the small pebbles littering the trail. As she took in her sandaled feet, Gabrielle sincerely wished she still had on her boots. They'd be much better to kick her grouchy companion in the behind with! 'Darn, Xena! Who does she think she is anyway? I'm the Amazon Queen, or at least I was, but I am still a princess! And she's just a?a?a smelly ole Warrior. Hah!' Suddenly, the angry Bard kicked viciously at a pile of rocks. One flew upward, as if in slow motion, and smacked the brooding Warrior in the middle of the back. Xena's shoulders tightened and she halted abruptly. 'Uh, oh!' the Bard tensed, eyes wide as saucers, ready to take to her heels and run for her life. Xena slowly exhaled, cracking her neck sharply to each side. With a conscious effort she relaxed her shoulders and continued to walk.
'Oh, centaur poop!' Gabrielle pouted. 'I'd almost rather she blew up and yelled at me. I can't take much more of this silent treatment. I mean, what in Hades crawled up her breeches and died!' The Bard took a deep, cleansing breath. This passive, turn the other cheek, routine was starting to wear pretty thin. Gabrielle really wanted to smack Xena upside the head right now! Oh! If she only had her staff! She'd get Xena's attention, quick, and find out what was really going on.
The young woman could think of nothing she had done (well at least not over the past few days) to warrant her best friend's displeasure. Now that Gabrielle thought about it she had first noticed a slight change in Xena's behavior around the time they left India to return to Greece. Then Xena's silence had seemed to deepen and her mood had begun to darken more significantly when they left Najara behind and headed for Athens. The Bard at first figured this was due to all the recent changes in their lives. Especially the fact that each of them had discovered she had her own separate, very different, path to walk in this life. Gabrielle's brow furrowed, in concentration, as her thoughts grew more serious. 'Could Xena be afraid I'll leave her again? Could she be worried that I might no longer be able to remain her friend. That I may cease to love her because of the violent nature of her course through this life time?'
Gabrielle sped up her pace to reach her companion's side. She drew the Warrior's hand into hers and gave it a slight squeeze. She took a deep breath and said, "I know a lot has happened to us Xena, and I know sometimes I don't really think things all the way through before I act. But no matter what lies ahead I just wanted you to know that I am so grateful to have you as my friend. I don't know what I would do without you. I?I love you, Xena." The dark haired woman smiled and squeezed the Bard's hand in reply. She draped her arm around the shorter woman's shoulders. The two companions walked on. The small voice in the back of Xena's mind chanted on?.betrayed you?betrayed you?The Warrior ignored it. Impulsively breaking into a run Xena yelled to the Bard. "Last one to the stream is a rotten harpie's egg!" "No fair!" the Bard exclaimed. "You cheated! You got a head start and your legs are lots longer!" Giggling in delight, the little Amazon pounded down the path after her companion.
CHAPTER II
ENTERING ATHENS
The two women crested the ridge and stopped to gaze with awe at the walled city of Athens which lay spread before them in all its glory. The sun was just beginning to kiss the horizon as Xena and Gabrielle entered the cities largest cemetery, the Ceramicus. Gabrielle sped up as they passed through the expansive burial ground. The Bard wondered why the people of Athens insisted on burying their dead right outside the city walls. She shivered and increased her speed again. "Something wrong Gabrielle?" Xena inquired with a crooked smile. The Bard shot the Warrior a dirty look. Xena chuckled to herself in amusement. Finally reaching the cities west gate the duo turned northwest towards the Agora. Xena steered the Bard through the milling crowd of holiday revelers and onto the Panathenaic Way which would lead them into the heart of the great city and the market place. The crowds thinned some as they reached Athens' center of commerce. Most of the city's visitors had headed in the opposite direction from the Bard and Warrior to pay homage to the god Dionysius at his sanctuary on the city's southern slope.
Gabrielle began to recognize their surroundings and set a course toward the inn. Xena followed slightly behind the Bard. At first she smiled as her eyes caressed Gabrielle's swaying hips. When had she first begun to see her companion as a mature, attractive woman instead of an annoying little girl. The possibility of their relationship evolving into one of physical, as well as, emotional, and spiritual intimacy had been in the Warrior's thoughts often lately. She closed her eyes briefly and imagined holding the Bard close to her, kissing soft lips and caressing a firm breast?.Unexpectedly, her fantasy was swept away to be replaced by a vision of the young woman in Najara's arms, and Xena gasped, as a sharp pain pierced her heart. The Warrior wondered, yet again, if Gabrielle had taken the Crusader as a lover. So many times she had wanted to ask the Bard this same question, but didn't feel she had the right to pry. After all, she and Gabrielle "weren't" lovers and surely Gabrielle would never keep such a secret from her. Xena's chest grew even more constricted as she remembered the way her friend had stood by and watched her battle the thugs who had attacked them in the clearing where they had stopped with Najara. Xena shook her head to dispel these dismal thoughts. Gabrielle would have come to me if she could, but Najara was holding her back. Besides, she has sworn herself to a life of non-violence. Yeah right, said the little voice in the back of Xena's head. If you hadn't come back for her she'd still be warming the Crusader's bed! 'No! Gabrielle wouldn't have given herself to that crazed zealot! She would never have done such a thing!' the tall warrior reassured herself, as she briefly wondered, if Ares was playing mind games with her again.
However, that wasn't the only problem with Gabrielle's new- found devotion to peace and love. Xena worried constantly now about the Bard's safety. 'One of these days I won't be able to protect her and if she won't defend herself, then what.' Needless to say, danger and violence were a constant presence in the Warrior and Bard's lives. Xena was afraid that her constant agonizing over the Bard's well being in a fight would hamper her ability to concentrate. 'If I lose what will happen to Gabrielle? What will my enemies do to her if I'm not there to keep her safe?' Xena shuddered as several grisly outcomes to the situation paraded themselves through her mind.
"Well, well! Will ya lookie here! If it isn't the great Warrior princess!" A gravelly masculine voice called out. Xena automatically drew her sword and settled into a fighter's stance. Damn! This was a perfect example of what she had just been thinking. How had she missed these men moving to intersect her path. "Get behind me quickly Gabrielle!" Xena hissed out the side of her mouth. "Well, hello Dexippus" Xena drawled, as she straightened up, and planted her hand jauntily on her hip. "For a moment there I almost thought I was being challenged by a real Warrior! I heard rumors you had met a less than glorious end in Thrace. I'm glad you didn't. It'll be a pleasure to send you to Tartarus myself!"
Dexippus's face turned purple and with a roar he and his two companions drew their swords and rushed towards Xena with death and destruction burning in their eyes. "Ayiyiyiyiya!" Xena trilled as she executed a back flip in the air to land beyond her assailants. She smiled wickedly and loosed a throaty chuckle as the men slid to a rapid halt, gravel flying, and turned to face her again.
"Come on, boys. Give it your best shot. I've been needing a little exercise!" Xena taunted, as she began to weave intricate patterns in the air with her sword. The three men spread out and circled Xena. The ringing of steel filled the air as Xena began to battle with her trio of aggressors. She smashed the first man in the face with the hilt of her sword and he sank moaning to the ground as blood gushed from his broken nose to form a wet puddle in the sand. Xena then leapt into the air and landed a round- house kick to her second opponent's jaw. He hit the dirt as if a ton of bricks had just fallen on his head. Xena laughed maniacally and started moving towards Dexippus. He just stood there with a big smile on his face. Xena slowed her approach as she focused on the man before her. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she contemplated her unconcerned opponent. Why was he just standing there and not lifting his sword to defend himself? What had she missed?
Unexpectedly, twelve more mercenaries ran screaming and raging into the market square. Xena's pulse raced as she realized she had been played for a fool. The first three men had only been trying to keep her occupied until reinforcements arrived. 'Hades! Where is Gabrielle! Damn! Damn! Damn!' Xena spun around in circles trying to stay out of reach of her opponents' swords. Suddenly, her preternatural hearing detected a muffled scream. She whipped her head to the right and saw the Bard had been captured by one of Dexippus's men. 'No!' Xena screamed silently. With a roar of rage she turned on the fighters nearest her and began to wreak bloody havoc upon them all.
Gabrielle turned to move away from the battle and ran headlong into one of the mercenary's henchmen. He wound an arm around her neck and pressed the cool edge of his dagger tightly against the Bard's jugular vein. He then began to drag the struggling woman backward across the street intending to have a little "fun" with her under an overhanging awning. Suddenly the man behind her grunted and slumped to the ground. A strangled scream escaped Gabrielle's lips as his dagger thunked into the ground barely missing her naked foot. A strong hand covered the Bard's mouth and a warm breath made a shushing sound beside her ear. Her eyes opened wide as she realized who her rescuer was. "Iolaus! Thank the gods! Is Hercules here too?" the very relieved woman asked as she threw her arms around the little man's neck in gratitude. Iolaus smiled and pointed towards the battle where the big man was gleefully tossing bodies through the air. "Come on, Gabrielle. Let's get you somewhere safe. You know that's what Xena would want me to do." Iolaus took Gabrielle by the arm and shooed her down the street towards the inn.
Just as she was beginning to win the battle, Xena heard the Bard cry out once more in alarm. As she swung her head to see what was happening to her best friend, one of the swordsmen saw on opening and leapt forward, swinging his blade over hand to cleave Xena's skull in half. The Warrior princess raised her sword to deflect the blow. It didn't reach the intended target but still managed to leave a fiery trail in its wake as the cutting edge sliced through her right shoulder. Furious, Xena turned to swing her sword in retaliation and separate the man's head from his neck. Just as she raised her blade to strike her boot slipped in the bloody puddle on the sand and she fell to the ground with a crash. Dexippus laughed out loud as he leapt forward to deliver the killing stroke to Xena's heart.
'Gabrielle!' Xena cried over and over in her mind as the sword moved in slow motion towards her chest. Suddenly, Dexippus went flying through the air followed closely by two of his henchmen. "What in Hades!" Xena wondered out loud. "Nope! Wrong guess" was the laughing reply, "That would be my uncle!" "Hercules!" Xena grasped his hand as he lifted her to her feet. "Up to the same old tricks I see, Xena." Hercules! Xena! As in Xena, Destroyer of Nations and now, Hercules, son of Zeus! At this announcement, the men who remained standing promptly took to their heels and ran, preferring to live and fight another day. "Hercules, Where's Gabrielle!" Xena cried with growing panic. "She was close behind me. Oh gods! Dexippus's men must have taken her!" "Calm down, she's fine, Xena. I had Iolaus take her ahead to the inn. Why was she running away from the battle and not fighting by your side? Has she been injured? Why is she dressed like that and where is her staff? And, for the love of Aphrodite, what happened to her HAIR!!!" Xena sighed wearily as she paused to massage her aching temples. She'd forgotten the small bard was not the only one, in her life, who loved to torture her with endless questions. "It's a long story, Herc, and I just don't want to talk about it right now." "Sure, Xena. I understand, Let's go meet the others and see about doing something with that arm. Ouch! That's gotta sting!" Hercules said sympathetically. Xena just grimaced and turned to lead the way to the inn.
CHAPTER III
OF PROMISES, REGRETS, AND SECRETS
The Path of Thorns
I knew you wanted to tell me
In your voice there was something wrong
But if you would turn your face away from me
You can not tell me you're so strong?
Just let me ask of you one small thing
As we have shared so many tears
With fervor our dreams we planned a whole life long
Now are scattered on the wind?
IN THE TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
IN THE TERMS OF THE LIFE YOU LOVE
IN THE TERMS OF THE YEARS THAT PASS YOU BY
IN THE TERMS OF THE REASON WHY
Through the years I've grown to love you
Though your commitment to most would offend
But I stuck by you holding out with my foolish pride
Waiting for you to give in?
You never really tried or so it seems
I've had more than myself to blame
I've had enough of trying everything
And this time it is the end?
There's no more coming back this way
The path is overgrown and strewn with thorns
They've torn the lifeblood from your naked eyes
Cast aside to be forlorn
Funny, how it seems that all I've tried to do
Seemed to make no difference to you at all?
{Sarah McLachlan}
Xena stepped into the cool, dimly lit interior of the inn. Her eyes scanned the crowd rapidly, seeking the comforting sight of the Bard's blond head. "Xena!" Gabrielle cried out. She ran across the room and flung herself into the Warrior's open arms. She threw her own arms around Xena's waist and buried her head in the leather clad bosom of the taller woman. "Oh Xena" the Bard choked out. "I was so afraid. I thought you?you?might?be?gone?" the young woman's voice trailed away into a whisper. Xena protectively drew the little blond more tightly against her chest, enveloping the other woman's petite body safely within the circle of her strong, loving embrace. Xena placed her chin on top of Gabrielle's head and breathed a sigh of relief. "Gods, Gabrielle! I?I was so worried about you. If Hercules and Iolaus hadn't shown up?I'm just glad you're not hurt?" the Warrior said in a shaky voice.
Gabrielle pulled away slightly and frowned at the sight of fresh blood slowly dripping down the Warrior's shoulder. "Xena! You're hurt! Why didn't you say something! What am I gonna do with you!" the Bard said in a stern voice. Xena tried not to smirk at the sight of the Bard with hands on hips, chin jutting out defiantly, and her dainty foot tapping in disapproval.
Actually, Xena could think of several things the Bard could do with her if she really wanted too, and all of them would be sure to make the pain in her shoulder go away. Oh, yes indeed, if only Gabrielle also thought of "her" as a desirable woman as well as a friend then just maybe?. 'Hades! I must be delirious from the battle.' Xena thought with a shake of her head. 'Where in Tartarus did that just come from!' A sharp twinge in her groin immediately clarified the point. 'Stop that!' the disgruntled Warrior admonished her traitorous body. 'We've already had this discussion and it's not gonna happen!'
"Come on, Xena! I got us a room upstairs. Our bags are already up there along with our medical supplies." The Bard turned and strode purposefully towards the stairs never doubting that Xena would follow along behind her.
The dark-haired woman looked at Hercules and Iolaus and shrugged helplessly. Her gaze was met by two toothy grins. Xena's eyes narrowed to slits. Oh no, here it comes she thought. "Go ahead, Xena, don't worry about us" Hercules quipped. "Let your little Bard stitch you back together again. Iolaus and I will have the inn keeper send you two something up to eat later on. I'm sure you'll?uh?need to keep up your strength" "Oh, and don't forget water for a nice hot bath, while your at it Herc." Iolaus added merrily. "I'm sure Gabrielle doesn't want Xena crawling between the sheets smelling like an old war- horse."
Xena speared the snickering men with her most lethal glare and squaring her shoulders stomped off towards the stairs. She'd long ago given up trying to convince the two of them that she and Gabrielle weren't, as Hercules and Iolaus often colorfully inferred, doing the nasty, making the beast with two backs, or humping like bunnies. Men were such pigs sometimes! 'Oh well, I certainly can't fault them for their taste in women. If only, there "could" be something more between she and I?' Xena smiled ruefully and sighed deeply. ' Well, I guess a girl can still have her dreams, can't she?' The gleeful laughter of the two men floated up the stairs behind her. 'Huh! Little Bard indeed! I should tell Gabrielle what Herc and Iolaus have been saying about us.' Xena thought spitefully. 'Then we'll see exactly how funny Mr. Muscles thinks he is. I'd say his chances against a totally pissed off "Little Bard" would most definitely be slim to none.'
'My little Bard! How ridiculous! Gabrielle and I are, well, "just friends". Very good friends, but just friends.'
Xena's brow furrowed and her lips tightened as her thoughts grew more intense. Lately it seemed that thoughts, of making love to Gabrielle, crept into her mind on a regular basis, no matter how hard she tried to banish them! 'Zeus knows, she'd probably run screaming into the darkness if I ever let her see how much I really care for her, the way I need her so badly?.. Sometimes, it's so hard not to just lean over and kiss those ruby red lips, run my hands over that hard, tight little body?.' The Warrior took a deep breath and shook her head. 'Whew! I think I need a cold bath ?.I can't afford to lose control! Not now! Not like this! I can't let her see the lust in my eyes when I look at her? She can never be allowed to see how my body aches for her to ease the cruel grip, of the battle lust, which rages through my veins at times like these?..'
'Besides, Gabrielle belongs to no one but herself! She's grown into a strong, capable, beautiful young woman. She deserves someone as special as she is. Sometimes, I think if she had stayed with the Amazons, well, maybe she and Ephiny would have come together. If not Ephiny, then some other woman who would never hurt her?who would never hurt her in all the ways I did? If only we didn't always seem to bring each other so much pain. We've hurt one another so much as friends. What in the world would happen if we became lovers?' A look of incredible sadness flitted briefly across the dark-haired woman's face. Oh yes, Gabrielle was most definitely beautiful and very desirable. As a matter of fact, it was hard not to notice the love and pride that shone in the tall Warrior's eyes when she gazed upon the little Bard.
Strangely enough, neither woman seemed to realize that much of the pain that they endured was needless. They could have healed their scars and escaped the darkness that haunted them by simply embracing their love for one another. Unfortunately, stubbornness and the inability to forgive oneself, were traits inherent to both the Warrior and the Bard. Xena came to the top of the landing and halted briefly in front of the door. The wounded Warrior cocked her head and listened. The voices of doubt in her mind were silent for now and she was grateful. She remolded her features into their usual stoic guise. Then took a calming breath, slowly pushed open the door, and entered the room she would share with her companion.
The Bard had quickly washed up at the basin and changed into a clean shift while she waited for Xena. She waved the other woman over to the soap and towels. Xena removed her armor and leathers and splashed the cool water over her face. She wrapped a towel around her body, after she finished washing, and turned to watch the Bard glide gracefully around the room.
Gabrielle smiled at her and motioned for Xena to take a seat on the bed. She moved around the room efficiently gathering the items she would need to tend the Warrior's wound. 'It's not like I haven't done this a hundred times before.' Gabrielle mused to herself. She sat down gingerly on the bed and began to gently wash the encrusted blood from around Xena's gaping cut. "So, Xena, what was the deal with Dexippus. I take it he knew you way back when?"
"Yes, I guess you could say that." Xena replied with a lop sided grin. "I came across Dexippus when I was leading my army between Syracuse and Carthage. We had intended to skirt around the area to avoid the many legions of fighting men encamped there. I could have defeated either army separately, but had they joined forces, we would surely have been destroyed to the last man. Dexippus had been hired to lead the defense of the city of Arcagas against the soldiers of Carthage. It was a very wealthy settlement with many well endowed temples to the gods. They actually managed to hold their own against the Carthaginian soldiers until a food supply fleet from Syracuse, their patron city, was intercepted. Once supplies ran low Dexippus took his mercenaries and deserted leaving Arcagas at the mercy of their invaders."
"He also managed to liberate most of the cities public funds and quite a large array of religious items made of gold and other precious metals from various temples. We intercepted Dexippus and his men as they fled in the night. He was quite unhappy when I relieved him of his ill gotten treasures and totally decimated his band of brigands. He should have been grateful he managed to escape with his life! Had I known he'd turn up again I'd have hunted him down, like the cur he is, back then. Of course I wasn't any better than the man himself at the time. I too was no more than a thief and a murderer." Xena's voice trailed away into a whisper as she remembered her past misdeeds. 'Not to mention the fact he could well have caused your death today Gabrielle. It seems my past will always pose a threat to you. No matter how hard I try to make up for my sins.' Xena closed her eyes and willed her hidden demons away.
"Hmmm?" Gabrielle murmured. "I'm sorry Xena, I shouldn't have asked?" "It's OK Gabrielle, you have a right to know these things?" 'Guess I'll never learn!' The Bard chastised herself. 'Now I've dredged up painful memories for her again. How stupid can I be!' Gabrielle forced herself to smile and spoke cheerfully "It's not too bad, Xena, really. I'll just clean up this little scratch and apply some herbal salve to it. Won't take long at all. You've certainly had much worse! Really, it's not so bad. It just?It just needs a few stitches. I'll be done before you know it." The Bard said with false bravado. Xena didn't notice the pained expression on Gabrielle's face. She had closed her eyes and let her head fall forward while her caretaker applied the numbing ointment and sewed the wound closed. After she finished with the stitches Gabrielle covered the injury with a clean bandage. She slipped a soft cotton shift over Xena's head and helped the Warrior slowly guide her arms into the sleeves of the garment. Xena sighed with relief and let the damp towel fall to the floor.
The dark woman frowned and opened her eyes to see why Gabrielle had not moved away from the bed after she finished tending the injury. "Gabrielle?" She inquired. "What is it?" "Oh, Xena." The Bard whispered as she reached out and gently laid her palm against the other woman's cheek. Gabrielle's other hand then moved to cover her own mouth as she tried vainly not to cry. It was a losing battle. Pain welled up in her heart and regret clouded her sea-green eyes. The tears she had tried so hard to hide spilt over and cascaded down her face. "Oh, Xena! This is all my fault! If Hercules and Iolaus hadn't been there? Oh Gods!?You might have been killed. It was my fault. I should have been by your side. I know you were distracted from the fight because of me. I?I?I'm so sorry?" Sobs racked the Bard's small frame violently as all the fear and panic of the day's events burst forth from her subconscious. Gabrielle's soul cried out in anguish, tormented by guilt and remorse, over her failure to come to her best friend's aid. 'Oh, sweet Artemis' the Amazon Bard lamented. 'I simply stood by and allowed the woman I love to nearly be killed again. No wonder she's still so afraid to trust me! Oh, Gods how can I expect her to ever love me the way I so need her to!'
"Gabrielle?Please Gabrielle, don't cry." Xena took the Bard's small hand in her own much larger one and pulled the sobbing woman onto her lap as she settled the blond head against her uninjured shoulder. Slowly she rocked the Bard back and forth as she murmured soothing words into her ear. They were oblivious to the innkeeper's knock on the door. Neither Bard, nor Warrior cared for food or a bath at this point. All they desired was to simply lose themselves in each other's embrace for a while.
Xena's mind was in utter turmoil. Her heart ached in her breast. Her soul was torn asunder by conflicting emotions. Blue eyes filled with doubt and wonder gazed longingly upon the beautiful woman she held in her arms. 'Gods! I love her so much, but I'm so afraid. If I gave her my heart and soul it would be forever for me. I could never stop loving her, needing her?..Then, if she left me again I would die of it. If she betrayed my trust again or was taken from me in battle because I failed to keep her safe?Oh, Gabrielle, I'm not so sure I could keep my promise to you. I so fear I would become a monster again. Only this time I would be a beast with no heart and no soul. For these are the things you would take away with your leaving. And how can you stay on your journey of peace, love and healing with me by your side? I draw the darkness to me, just as surely as you seek out the light.'
'Sooner or later, you would compromise your beliefs for me. I know your love for me, your loyalty to me, would demand it of you. Oh my Bard, my sweet little Bard, how I love you. Why does it always seem I must lose everyone and everything I love and cherish? Oh, but you Gabrielle? you are my heart, my soul, my guiding light. What else can I do, but love you, protect you?leave you?' Xena looked down at Gabrielle and those beautiful green eyes, filled with love and concern, looked right back into her own misty blue pools.
"Xena." Gabrielle whispered, "Xena, I love you" "I know Gabrielle. I love you too, my little one." Xena bent her head and placed a soft kiss on Gabrielle's brow. Then Xena's lips moved, of their own accord, to kiss a pert nose, silky eyelids, smooth cheeks and a dimpled chin. Gabrielle's pulse raced and her breathing quickened. One alabaster arm floated upward and guided strong fingers into the hair at the nape of Xena's neck. She pulled the Warrior's head down until Xena's lips just brushed hers. "Gab-ri-elle" the dark Warrior breathed. The soft puff of air from Xena's mouth caused a shudder of desire to run down the Bard's spine.
Xena shook her head, trying desperately to clear her befuddled mind. "No, Gabrielle?I?" "Yes, Xena, Yes!" the Bard commanded. "Ahhhhh?" the Warrior groaned softly. She was not sure if it was a sound of surrender or desire?and right now, Xena just didn't care. Nothing else existed but the softness of her Bard's lips and Gabrielle's heart beating a rapid tattoo beneath her hand. Their lips parted and Gabrielle entered her dark lover's mouth. Their tongues danced together to the rhythm of the blood which pounded in their temples. The contact was heavenly. A wave of warmth ignited deep within their breasts and radiated outward enveloping them both in a soft, glowing cocoon of love and light. Xena inched backwards onto the bed tenderly pulling Gabrielle down to lie beside her, face to face. "So soft, so sweet, so lovely?" Xena moaned into her soon to be lover's mouth, as her hand trailed up the Bard's sculpted thigh, and came to rest on a firm young breast. Her thumb gently caressed a nipple through the cloth covering Gabrielle's chest. The Bard covered Xena's hand with her own and pressed the callused palm more tightly against her. "Yessss?.." Gabrielle softly hissed, with mounting need and excitement. Her left hand began to caress its way slowly and sensuously down Xena's well muscled back to cup a firm buttock. She pulled the Warrior's body tightly against her own. The increasingly aroused Bard began to kiss Xena more forcefully, wanting, no needing, to devour her long awaited prize. Without warning, Xena broke their heated embrace and pulled away. Gabrielle immediately strained to recapture her partner's beautiful passion-bruised lips. "Xena? Please?tell me what's wrong? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you?or take advantage of you in any way?I just thought?you wanted me too." Gabrielle babbled as panic began to creep into her mind.
"Shhh?My love, it's not you. I just can't?not right now Gabrielle. I?I?" Xena could not possibly explain to the worried Bard the real reason for her putting an abrupt halt to their lovemaking. She couldn't look into those sad green eyes, eyes that could see into the darkest depths of her soul, and tell Gabrielle she was leaving. 'Oh, Gabrielle if I made love to you I could never leave you. I won't be the cause of you straying from your chosen path. I can't keep putting you in danger. I won't let my darkness, the path of violence and bloodshed I must follow, steal the light from your eyes again. No, my love, there simply is no other answer. Gods! I love you, so much?I would gladly die for you, but I can not, I will not let you follow me to your certain destruction. Someday, I will fail. I won't be able to keep you safe and if you won't defend yourself?then what? No, Gabrielle, that day will never come to pass. I won't let it! I'll face Caesar alone. I'll go to the cross alone. For that is my destiny, not yours.'
All these thoughts and more raced through Xena's mind, as she laid her head on Gabrielle's chest, and wrapped an arm around her companions trim waist. "I'm just so tired, Gabrielle. I must be out of shape. I haven't been practicing enough lately." Xena said with a wan smile. "Please, Would you just? hold me tonight?" The Bard's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and surprise. This was not at all like her usually stalwart Warrior, but Gabrielle had learned when to let sleeping Warriors lie. "Of course, Xena?You know I will."
They could discuss all that had happened over breakfast. She stroked Xena's silky tresses lovingly as she held her dark lover close to her heart. She meant to tell Xena, tomorrow, that she had been wrong. Her path was not one of non-violence or of turning the other cheek. Her path was wherever her beautiful Warrior chose to tread. 'We belong together, my warrior, two halves that make one whole. The light and the dark entwined together in love, each supporting and fulfilling the other. The only way we'll ever be safe, the only way we'll ever find peace, is together.'
Gabrielle drifted towards sleep her blond head resting against the Warrior's dark locks. "I love you, Xena." She mumbled softly as she entered Morpheus's realm.
Xena stood by the bed and looked down at Gabrielle. She looked even younger and more innocent when she was asleep. The tall warrior bent down and kissed the little Bard on the forehead. Picking up her saddlebags, she headed for the door closing it ever so softly behind her.
The Warrior Princess stopped by the table where Hercules sat awaiting breakfast from the kitchen. She slid silently onto the bench, across from him, clasping her hands tightly together in her lap. "Xena?" the large man inquired. "Is everything all right?" "Hercules you have always been a good friend to me. I have one last favor to ask of you." "Sure, Xena, I'll be glad to do whatever I can. You know that." "I'm leaving this morning and I'm not taking Gabrielle with me." "But, Xena?." The demi-god interjected with a frown. "No?Please don't ask me any questions. Just do this one thing for me. Make sure Gabrielle gets to wherever she decides to go safely. It would mean the world to Me." she said with her head still bowed. Hercules studied his friend intensely. He knew the mood Xena was in meant it was unlikely he would get any straight answers from her. He lifted the dark woman's head with his fingers and stared into her eyes. The pain he saw there was immense, the sorrow unbearable. Hercules spoke softly. "All right, Xena. I'll do as you ask, but I think you're making the biggest mistake of your life. Some day you're going to have to quit running away from the people who love you. You realize your leaving like this will break Gabrielle's heart. What am I to tell her?" Xena thought for a moment and then spoke gravely "Just tell her I love her, Hercules. Just tell her I love her and that's why I've gone. Tell her to let me go and not to follow me. Someday she'll understand why I left. Someday, long after I've been sent Tartarus, when she's an old woman telling stories to her grandchildren around the hearth, she'll understand. That's something she deserves but will never have if she stays with me. It's easier this way" "Easier for who Xena? Easier for you or easier for Gabrielle? I've seen her grow from an awkward young girl into a strong, capable young woman. Don't you think she deserves the right to make her own choices?" Hercules replied with growing irritation. "I really don't understand you. You'd go into battle barehanded against the whole Persian army, but you run away like a scared little girl, the moment someone offers you his or her love. You're right! You should go. Gabrielle deserves better, far better than a coward like you!" Xena's eyes blazed with fury as she lunged forward to grab the big man by the shirt and pull him close to her face. "You don't understand! You don't understand! You couldn't possibly! I ?." The enraged Warrior took a deep breath and backed away from Hercules still shaking with anger. "No, you don't understand Hercules?I'm leaving because I do love Gabrielle?." Xena said softly before turning to head for the stables. She heard his final words fade away as she closed the door on her life with the Bard. "OH, I think I understand only to well, Xena. You?Are?A?Coward!"
The big man's words echoed through Xena's mind long after she collected Argo and rode toward the coast. She meant to catch a freight boat at Brauron and sail east across the Aegean Sea. From there she would head north, along the Caicus River, and back to Chin. It was much easier to love someone who was dead Xena mused. Lao Ma would make no demands on her and she could further honor her debt, to the gracious lady, by returning to ensure all was well in the court of the Green Dragon. Besides, Xena knew this would be the last place Gabrielle would ever think to look for her. It was a large, empty land where a Warrior who didn't want to be found could get lost forever.
Gabrielle awoke slowly, stifling a yawn and stretching contentedly. Suddenly a picture of Xena filled her mind. Xena's lips, her strong hands, her soft skin sliding against the Bard's body?Gabrielle turned to draw her beautiful lover into her arms but she was alone in the bed. A cold feeling of dread gripped the Bard's heart like a vise and her stomach fell to her feet.
Gabrielle forced herself to exhale and shook her head with a laugh. Still "Miss up before the Chickens", no matter what! Yet, something still didn't feel right. She scanned the room and, as a look of dread crept across her delicate features, realized what was wrong. The saddlebags were gone along with Xena's other things. All that remained was the Bard's satchel and scrolls.
"No! No! No!" Gabrielle howled in disbelief. She leapt from the bed, tore off her shift, and quickly threw on her clothes. She pounded down the stairs barefooted and skidded to a halt in the common area. Casting a wild-eyed glance around the tables her eyes lit briefly upon Hercules and Iolaus who were seated alone at the back of the room.
"Xena, No?" Gabrielle choked out. She fled the inn and dashed madly towards the stables. Iolaus waved Hercules back into his seat and with a sigh followed the panicked Bard.
When Iolaus entered the Barn, Gabrielle was standing motionless in front of Argo's empty stall. "Gabrielle" he called softly. Without warning, the Bard exploded into a frenzy of violent motion. "Nooooo!!! No! No! No! You promised! You promised you wouldn't leave me again! You promised! You?promised?" She screamed over and over as she kicked and beat on the stall door with her bare feet and hands.
"Gabrielle!" Iolaus surged forward and wrapped his arms around the small woman. He held her gently but firmly to stop her from doing physical harm to herself. Slowly the Bard calmed down and sunk towards the floor sobbing in despair. The blond man followed her down and turned the young woman until he cradled her safely against his chest.
Tears fell from the gentle man's eyes as he held the little Bard's trembling body. 'Damn You! Xena of Amphipolis.' Iolaus raged inside. 'I'd break your neck if I could only get my hands on you right now. Damn, You! Damn you to Tartarus and back a thousand times over for doing this to Gabrielle. If she looked at me with, half, the love shining in her eyes that she has for you? I'd move heaven and earth to be by her side! You're a fool, Xena!'
Gabrielle angrily swiped the tears from her face with a clenched fist. Then she looked up at Iolaus and gave him a watery smile. "Thank you" she said quietly. He stood and reached down a hand to draw Gabrielle to her feet again. "What will you do now, Gabrielle?" he inquired. "I'll go after her. She's not getting rid of me that easily. I won't let her! I refuse to give up on us!" The Bard stated with her head held high and a defiant look in her eyes. "But, Gabrielle." Iolaus sighed. "Xena told Hercules to ask you not to follow her. She said one day?" "I would understand?" the Bard nodded knowingly. "Oh, I understand, Iolaus. Only too well?" Gabrielle hung her head and stared at the hay strewn floor. "I think?" She took a deep breath and raised her head to meet the blond man's eyes. "I think Xena's leaving had to do with trust, and with the fear she still carries inside. The fear I will betray her again. I knew I should have been totally honest with her. I should have told her long ago how much I loved her and needed her. I should have told her that I desired her as my lover, as well as, my friend. Xena and I have hurt each other so much over the past two years. We've caused each other untold grief by failing to be honest about our feelings, our hopes, our fears?and our mistakes." "But Gabrielle?" Iolaus interrupted. "That's still no reason for her to sneak away like a guilty child. She should have at least talked things over with you. She should have had the guts to tell you good bye to your face! Maybe?maybe its time you let her go and got on with your life."
Gabrielle reached out a hand and patted Iolaus on the shoulder. "Thank you, for being such a good friend to me Iolaus. I only wish I had been such a good friend to Xena. You see, even after all that's happened I still kept something from her. I still held on to one last guilty secret. "I" was the one who betrayed "her", yet again. That's why I have to go after her and beg her to give us one last chance. I love her Iolaus. She carries the other half of my soul within her breast, and I would rather die than go on alone without her."
The Bard turned and left the stables. She would pack up her things, eat a hasty breakfast, and hit the road. 'I love you Xena and I know you love me too! I swear to you, sweet Aphrodite?I'll not stop my journey until the woman I love is in my arms again. Please watch over her and keep her safe until then.'
As Gabrielle packed, she stopped to ponder her wardrobe. 'Hmmm?they say that clothes make the woman. Well, I guess its high time I quit pretending to be something I'm not. Time to shed this get up for something more appropriate. It will certainly be good to put on a pair of boots again!' The Bard laughed as she found the pouch of dinars Xena had placed in the bottom of her satchel. 'Oh Xena, my love, trust you to take care of me even when you're not here!'
A very determined Amazon Princess joined Hercules and Iolaus for breakfast. The two heroes knew by the look in her eyes there would be no changing the stubborn young woman's mind. Hercules breathed a silent sigh. In some ways Xena and Gabrielle were so much alike. He shook his shaggy head and smiled fondly at the little blond. "Where will you go from here, Gabrielle." "To the Amazon Nation, Hercules." "And from there?" Iolaus added. "From there I go to Chin." "To Chin? Why there?" the big man inquired with a puzzled frown. "Why, because that's the last place Xena would ever expect me to look for her, of course." Gabrielle explained as if the two men were incredibly thick headed. The demi-god and his small companion laughed out loud. Yes, Xena and Gabrielle were entirely too much alike.
CHAPTER IV
WHAT WARRIORS ARE MADE OF
The silent figure sat atop the hill on her snow-white charger. The purple cape, which hung from her broad shoulders, waved gently in the breeze. The sun glinted off the highly polished silver of her shield and breastplate. Intense gray eyes took in every detail of the battle unfolding below her. She was puzzled as to why the small group of Amazons was engaged in a heated fight with several centaurs and a few scruffy looking brigands. To the Roman's knowledge peace had been declared between the once bitter rivals. Her mount snorted anxiously and pawed at the turf. "No Orion, my friend, this is not our battle." the woman stated quietly as she gripped the restless stallion's reins more firmly in her powerful hands.
Suddenly, a flash of gold caught her attention. She inhaled sharply as her eyes focused on the gilt haired Amazon who ran to join the battle. Ah! Could this be the woman she sought? Tanned muscles rippled as the newcomer wielded her sword with a casual ease. Her sculpted thighs flexed and tensed under her leather skirt as she spun and danced amidst the attackers. "Ah?Well, Orion, it looks as if I spoke too soon. Perhaps this is our battle after all." she said in a husky voice as a smile crept across her chiseled features and a wicked gleam arose in her eyes. The pale rider wheeled her horse and voiced a bloodcurdling scream as she propelled her mount down into the fray.
The snorting stallion slid to a halt sending clods of grass flying into the air. The short haired rider leapt to the ground with a sensual grace as she drew an infantry man's short sword in either hand. "Ayyyy!Yaaah!" Ephiny trilled as she swung her sword toward the Roman's head with deadly force. Her eyes widened in shock as the other woman's blade caught and held her strike with ease. "I come as an ally, my Queen, and to offer my sword to fight in your cause." the steely eyed woman offered with a wicked smile. "I accept your offer for now, Warrior, though you have the stench of Rome upon your person!" Ephiny conceded with a slight curl of her lips, anxious to get back to the battle at hand. The Roman smiled at the retreating woman's back and arched a finely sculpted brow as she spoke softly into the air. "Ah, but my little spitfire, I was an Amazon long before I became a citizen of Rome?"
Xena had been riding for many hours now. She had no desire to sleep or eat anymore, though she knew she would have to stop soon, to rest Argo and let her graze. "Hang in there, girl. I know you're tired but I want to clear Amazon territory before we end our travels tonight." As Xena neared the final border of Amazonia she recognized the sound of ringing steel floating on the breeze. She reigned her mount in and listened to the sounds of battle just over the next ridge. She started to urge Argo onward then stopped again. "Hades! Hades! Hades! Damn the god of war to Tartarus and back again!" the Warrior swore with a vengeance. "Hee! Ya!" she yelled as she turned her lathered war-horse and thundered up and over the hill.
Her darting eyes took in the small group of Amazons battling the band of centaurs and rugged looking men. "Ephiny!" she gasped as one of the ruffians launched a javelin towards the blond woman's defenseless back. Xena kicked Argo into action reaching for her chakram as she barreled down the hill. "AiiiyiiiyiiiiyiiiiyiiiYa!" the Warrior flung her weapon towards the javelin slicing it neatly in half within inches of its' intended target as she executed a double somersault off of Argo's back. Xena landed on her feet, sword in hand, her eyes blazing with fury. Suddenly a tall, pale woman stepped between Ephiny and Xena and plucked the returning chakram from the air with ease. Thinking the dark Warrior had intended to strike the Amazon Queen, she laughed spitefully and flung the sharp edged weapon directly at Xena's head. The startled ex-warlord barely managed to catch the lethal disc before it struck her in the face. The two Warriors circled each other growling menacingly and brandishing their weapons with murderous intent. The leader of the attacking brigands suddenly called a retreat as the tide of the battle began to shift in the Amazons' favor. The women Warriors looked to their leader for guidance. "Hold! Stand down!" Ephiny bellowed with the sound of authority echoing loudly in her voice. "Xena! Stop it! This woman fought by our side, as a friend. Without her help we may well have lost this battle!" "Are you a fool! She's a Roman, Ephiny! Most likely one of Caesar or Pompeii's pet dogs! The only good Roman, is a dead Roman!" Xena spat with contempt. "I belong to no man, barbarian! I choose my own battles! I control my own destiny! You'll pay for your insults and your disrespect of my Queen!" the infuriated woman surged towards the Warrior princess with murder in her eyes. Ephiny stepped between the two enraged adversaries blocking the Roman's sword with her own. "I said, stand down?" she repeated quietly meeting the larger woman's intense gaze levelly. The ash haired Warrior bowed her head in consent and sheathed her swords. Xena stood silently gulping down ragged breaths of air as she continued to glare at her ghostly pale rival. Finally, she nodded her head at Ephiny and slowly sheathed her sword.
Ephiny glanced back and forth between the two women standing before her. They wore almost identical looks of malice on their faces. Their lips were curled in silent snarls and their brows furrowed in anger. It was all the smaller woman could do not to laugh out loud. So much alike and yet so different. While Xena was tall, dark and gorgeous, the other woman was tall, blond and devastatingly beautiful, though not quite as buxom as Xena. Her body was leaner and more finely muscled than the Warrior Princess and her ash-blond hair was short and wavy. She wore it cropped close to her head like a Roman nobleman and had fine, high cheekbones, and an aquiline nose.
Two sets of well cut biceps tensed and relaxed rapidly as two pairs of strong hands clenched and opened repeatedly with ill restrained agitation. The air seemed to crackle with electricity between Xena and?.Ephiny suddenly realized she didn't know the other woman's name. 'Oh, great leadership skills, Eph! This woman rides to your rescue on a snow-white charger and you didn't even bother to ask her name!' "Xena, this is?um?" Ephiny began. "Laris. My name is Laris, my lady. Citizen of Rome and Gladiator of the people" She offered with a dazzling smile as she bent to kiss the blond Amazon's hand with firm, warm lips. Ephiny sucked in her breath as butterflies began to flit about in her stomach. Gods! This mysterious stranger was gorgeous! She was tall, strong, rippling with muscles and utterly charming to boot! Now if she could just keep she and Xena from killing one another?.
Suddenly, the sound of rapidly approaching hoof beats was heard. The air echoed with the ringing of a dozen Amazon swords being drawn simultaneously. An audible sigh of relief escaped the weary daughters of Artemis as the forms of Tyldus and his second in command Brasias thundered into view.
Gabrielle whistled a jaunty tune as she headed out of Athens. She figured it would take her about two moons to reach the Amazon nation on her own. She'd have to camp out most nights due to the depleted state of her dinars. For some reason she seemed to spend a lot more money when she went shopping without Xena. Still, she was quite pleased with all her purchases. It felt good to have leather boots on her feet again and the new staff she carried fit her hand to perfection. She liked the heft and the solid feel of the mahogany wood it was hewn from. The wood had a warm natural glow to its surface and slid smoothly through her hands as she wielded it in defense of unseen foes. She'd pulled her Amazon princess garb from the bottom of her satchel and was pleased at how well the tanned leathers still conformed to her curves. She'd added a soft, dark brown cape to her attire in case the evenings turned cool as she traveled northward. Though Gabrielle may have relinquished the Queen's mask to Ephiny, she still carried herself with the grace and poise of Amazon royalty.
Gabrielle sighed sadly as she recalled that there would be no warm Warrior's body to share her bedroll with at night. It always amazed her how Xena's strong, powerful frame could also be such a soft , welcoming refuge in the dark. There'd be no one to hold her and comfort her when the nightmares came stealing into her dreams as she slept either. The Bard's hand moved to rest lightly on one of the twin daggers she now wore belted about her waist. Each dagger had gold-plated handles inset with a blood red stone. Gabrielle thought they accented her new boots and cape perfectly. All in all the young blond woman felt stronger and more confident than she ever had before, even when traveling with the Warrior Princess. Gabrielle was proud of the woman she had become. A woman worthy of the love of a powerful Warrior. Even a great Warrior like Xena of Amphipolis. The former Amazon Queen lifted her head haughtily and strode purposely forward towards her awaiting destiny.
Tyldus and Brasias traveled back towards the Amazon village with Ephiny and her Warriors. Xena and Laris dogged the Queen's heels closely, frequently shooting looks of death at each other over the shorter woman's head. Tyldus quickly and efficiently relayed his knowledge of the outlaw band of centaurs to his companions. "I'm ashamed to say the worthless curs who attacked you today were once members of my army. They were expelled for their dishonorable acts. It seems as if some disenfranchised Roman soldiers have also joined their ranks. They have been looting and ransacking some of the smaller villages along the sea coast. They leave no survivors behind and burn the buildings to the ground. Not even the women or children are left alive. I'm afraid the group seems to be growing ever larger and may soon become a threat to everyone within their path. I've come to ask our Amazon neighbors to join us in hunting down these outlaws and ending their reign of terror." "Very well, Tyldus, you'll have our full cooperation in this matter." Ephiny gravely agreed She turned to Xena and inquired, "Will you help us with tracking and disbanding these brigands, Xena? You're familiar with both centaur and Roman warfare." "I wouldn't miss it for the world Ephiny. There's nothing quite as satisfying as watching a Roman dog writhing in agony on the tip of my sword." Xena replied with a wicked grin as she stared directly into the Gladiator's eyes. A low growl began to rumble through Laris's chest. Xena tried hard not to look alarmed as the hair on the back of her neck rose up. "Stop it! Both of you!" Ephiny commanded. "This is no time for such foolish posturing. Laris, we could use your help too, as I'm sure you're well versed in the ways of Roman fighting tactics." Laris smiled guiltily and hung her head. "Of course, my Queen, my sword is as ever at your disposal." Ephiny turned to look at the Warrior princess who seemed to have found an interesting spot on the ground to examine. "Then it's settled. We'll meet with you tomorrow at mid-day, Tyldus, to discuss our plan of attack." "Tyldus nodded in agreement. He clasped arms with Ephiny and the two Warriors then turned and galloped back towards the centaur village."
Ephiny breathed a weary sigh of relief as she trudged through the gates of the Amazon village. She turned and motioned for Laris and Xena to accompany her to the dining hall. "I'm sure you both must be hungry and thirsty by now. Will you join me for the evening meal?" Ephiny asked. "No thanks, Eph." Xena replied. "I'd rather hit the bathing hut and then retire for the night. It's been a very long day. Shall I stay in our?I mean my usual place." "Of course, Xena." The little Amazon answered. "but?where is Gabrielle? You haven't even told me what happened?she's not hurt?or?." Ephiny's voice trailed off as a feeling of dread began to take hold in the pit of her stomach. "I'm Sorry, Eph. It was thoughtless of me to worry you so?.Gabrielle is fine. She is still in Athens with Hercules and Iolaus. Herc promised to look after her for me and see her safely to wherever she wanted to go." Xena said softly as she lightly squeezed the worried Amazon's shoulder. "Oh, but?why isn't she with you, Xena? I don't understand." "We'll discuss it later, Ephiny" the dark Warrior said with finality as she looked pointedly at Laris. Ephiny sighed and nodded her agreement. Xena turned and headed for the baths. She made a slight detour on her way to stop and pick up a skin of wine from the kitchens. 'Time to drown my sorrows and there's no better way to do it than with a skin of potent Amazon wine!'
Laris offered her arm to Ephiny and smiled proudly as the beautiful blond woman accepted. "I've been meaning to ask you why you keep referring to me as your Queen, Laris. I didn't know Romans acknowledged Amazon royalty as a rule." "Ah, my dear Ephiny, I was not always a Roman. I was born an Amazon in the hills of the Caucausas mountains. When I was only a young girl Roman soldiers raided our village and took all the women and girls that weren't killed captive. We were sold into slavery in the markets of Rome, which is how I eventually found myself in training to become a Gladiator. But that is a tale I'll save for another day." Ephiny's eyes widened in surprise. "You came from Themiscrya? We had begun to think the great city of our Amazon forebearers was only a legend! Oh Laris! You must tell me all you remember! What of your mother? Your family?." The Gladiator turned sad eyes on the Queen. "My mother was a noble woman, a courageous soul, and a valiant Warrior. She was the last to fall of all my Amazon sisters. She sent many a Roman soldier to meet Hades that day. The blood ran in rivers about her boots, but in the end she fell, shot down by Roman archers. Her name was Hippolyte, and she was the greatest Amazon who ever lived!" Laris's eyes shone with pride and a fire that burned deep within their depths. Ephiny gasped audibly. "But! But!?That means you're Amazon royalty Laris. I?I?Hippolyte was the most famed of all Warriors, the finest daughter of Artemis, to ever rule as a Queen of the Amazons! We still teach legends of her heroic deeds to our young today. Hers is the example all Amazon Warriors strive to emulate.!" Ephiny fell to her knees in front of Laris her head bowed in respect. A strong hand reached down to pull her gently to her feet. "No, my Queen, do not bow to me. I have done nothing to deserve such an honor, though I do hope you will allow me to stay here and live once again as an Amazon among my sisters. "Yes! Yes! Of course, Laris, I would have it no other way. Now come, let us eat and I will introduce you to your new family."
CHAPTER V
FATAL ATTRACTION
The Warrior sat draped in a cloak of silence. Strong hands resting loosely, mid-way up muscular thighs. She wore only her shift and her raven hair was still wet from the bath. She stared blankly down at the earthen floor through bleary, reddened eyes. The look on her face was hidden by a curtain of ebony silk. She watched absently as the water droplets fell from the ends of her still dripping tresses to make meaningless patterns in the dust. An empty wine skin lay on the floor by her feet.
The Amazon leader knocked on the doorframe again and called out softly, "Xena? Xena, please, can I come in?" The weary Warrior sighed dramatically. Her lush lips tightened slightly as Ephiny's dulcet tones washed over her. She bid the Amazon enter. The small blond haired, brown-eyed Warrior stepped cautiously into the hut eyeing the empty wine-flask on the floor. Her muscles tensed as she readied herself to flee at the slightest sign of threat from the brooding, blue-eyed woman. "Xena, what's happened? Why isn't Gabrielle here with you?" Ephiny asked in a neutral tone of voice. The dark Warrior winced as if she'd been slapped in the face. "I don't know Ephiny, I just?she's most likely at the Bard's Academy in Athens or on her way here. I told you I asked Hercules and Iolaus to see she gets safely to wherever she decides to go." was the dead pan reply.
The Queen knew something was very wrong, but hesitated to push the stolid Warrior when she was in such a black mood. What in the world could have caused the Warrior and Bard to part this way and why hadn't Gabrielle sent word of her whereabouts and safety to the Amazon nation. She was after all, still second in line to the throne.
"Xena," Ephiny began..... "I left her, Eph.....I left her.....I had to.....I....." Sweet Artemis! Was that a sob the blond Amazon heard? From the notoriously stoic, battle-hardened, Warrior Princess seated before her? Ephiny knelt in front of Xena and tentatively placed a hand on the trembling woman's knee. Xena slowly raised her head to meet her friend's concerned gaze. Tears fell from blue eyes like rain. 'Hades!!!' Ephiny thought, this was scarier than the customary scowl that usually adorned the ex-warlord's face. Ephiny couldn't remember ever seeing such looks of hurt, desolation, and well, total defeat in any woman's eyes before. "Oh, Xena." she whispered with concern, "Please tell me what happened....." The heart broken Warrior fell sobbing into the startled Queen's arms. "Uh! Uh! Ummm.....There, there, now! It will be all right." Ephiny crooned as she hesitantly patted the Warrior's shaking back.
Suddenly, Ephiny felt herself lifted bodily off of the ground. Her feet instinctively kicked the air in protest, as she was crushed tightly against the other woman's breast by powerful arms. "Xena! No! Stop!" Ephiny yelped, "You've been drinking, you? you don't want?to?do?this!" Ravenous lips claimed her mouth with vengeful force sucking the breath from her lungs in a rush. The Warrior Princess spun suddenly, tossing the smaller woman upon the bed with relative ease. Then she pounced upon her like a big hungry cat and forcefully pinned Ephiny's smaller, more compact body to the pallet. "Xena, please don't do this!" Ephiny begged. "No! Oh Nooo!!!" the panicked woman cried as both her hands were captured above her head by one big, callused hand and her lips were claimed again with a savage primal need. "Ohhhh.....Noooo....." Ephiny groaned into Xena's hungry mouth, her pulse quickened as her chest began to heave helplessly. The dark Warrior abruptly pulled away, blue eyes blazing with fiery intensity into startled brown, and growled, "Still want me to stop?" "No..... Oh GODS no!" Was the breathless reply.
Xena shoved Ephiny's legs apart with a demanding knee, ripped off her captive's breeches, and plunged four fingers into the Amazon's hot, wet, center. Xena growled in animalistic lust and Ephiny moaned, this time with desire and growing need. A hard palm grabbed Ephiny's ample breast and squeezed harshly, causing her to arch her back into the woman above her and whimper in anticipation. No other woman had ever taken her this way, and she was shocked by her sudden need to be possessed, to be devoured by this beautiful, yet powerful woman. Xena drew away for a moment, and with the hand not buried deeply in the straining, squirming body beneath her, tore Ephiny's top from her chest. Still not satisfied, she growled and removed her hand from its snug nest briefly. Xena's shift followed the top to the floor seconds later along with Ephiny's skirt, leaving the smaller woman clothed in nothing but her boots. She quickly returned her dripping fingers to their previous location, pressing her bare skin firmly against the hot, sweaty flesh of the woman beneath her.
Soft strands of raven colored hair fell across the blond Amazon's face and shoulders, tickling like the caress of a butterfly's wings, as Xena captured a rapidly hardening nipple in her mouth. She sucked forcefully, thrusting her hand harder, and deeper into the now sopping wet Amazon. "Ahhhh.....Yes!" "Yes! Xena! Ah...." As she finished thoroughly tonguing, biting, and suckling every inch of Ephiny's sweat slick, breasts, Xena raised her head and bit deeply into the tender, salty tasting, skin at the juncture of the smaller woman's neck and shoulder. At the same time she took her thumb and began to firmly rub, tight circles around her partner's throbbing clit.
Deep in the back of her mind Ephiny knew this was wrong but she was helpless to protest, in the face of the swelling current of desire which raged through her body, like a seething lava flow, consuming everything within its path. A trail of molten fire blazed from her neck where Xena feasted greedily, all the way down to her convulsing womb. She could feel the increasing wetness between the thrusting Warrior's legs sliding up and down her own tautly muscled thigh.... It was too much! The combined sensations overwhelmed the blonde woman's senses totally, pushing her over the edge of control. Ephiny screamed mindlessly, her body arching up off of the mattress to hang motionless in space for a long moment, and then she crashed back into reality to land quivering in the Warrior's steely arms. She stared transfixed into stormy blue eyes still crazed with lust, desire, and desperate need. "Ephiny, please....." Xena growled, "I need....." "Shhh...." Ephiny placed a quieting finger against Xena's half-parted lips, her brown eyes slowly darkening to black, as her eyelids narrowed to slits. A feral gleam crept across her face and she laughed hoarsely. "Oh, Xeennaaa....." she drawled in a deep throated purr. "It's OK, because I know...." "I KNOW!", What it is you need."
And I know what I need too, Ephiny thought. I need to possess you! To take you! To control you! To see you as weak and vulnerable to your base desires, as you've just made me to mine. Ephiny's wounded pride demanded she revenge herself against the Warrior Princess. For she too was a warrior, and a leader of warriors, who could show no weakness in the face of battle. An overwhelming wave of desire began to surge through her body threatening to push all conscience thought aside. Still, she hesitated for a moment, until the other woman spoke. "What's the matter little Amazon?You still got a problem with me?" Xena laughed wickedly. That was the last straw! The seething Queen parted her lips in a snarl of pure rage and attacked like a mindless beast.
Giving voice loudly to her most daunting Amazon battle cry, Ephiny grabbed the larger woman by the shoulders and hooking a leg behind Xena's thigh, threw her startled aggressor flat onto her stomach. At the same time she flipped herself astride the dark haired Warrior's back. Before Xena could recover from the shock of the sudden change in positions the Amazon Queen grabbed her left wrist, and twisted her arm behind her back, bringing the hand to rest painfully between her captive's shoulder blades. "Do as I say or I'll break your arm, Xena! Don't try me, because if you'll recall, I still owe you one!" While Xena could have easily overpowered the petite Amazon, she didn't even try. She needed this. She needed to be broken, needed to give in, needed to surrender. And above all else she desperately needed to forget. To purge the visions of soft blond hair, sea green eyes, a beautiful smile and enchanting laughter from her mind, even if it was only for a few moments. Besides, taking Ephiny and giving herself in return somehow made Gabrielle's loss seem more real, tangible, and irrevocably final. The Bard would never forgive her for this final betrayal. 'Good-bye Gabrielle.' The Warrior closed the door on her feelings for the Bard one last time.
Xena shuddered and whimpered with loss, "Yes, Ephiny, do as you would with me. I am yours to command." Unaware of the mind numbing thoughts, running through Xena's head, Ephiny laughed wickedly and said in her sultry voice, "Somehow Warrior Princess, I knew you would say that..." "On your knees my raven haired temptress!" "Now!!!" Ephiny roared smacking Xena's backside with her right hand and smiling at the pretty pink palm print it left. The Warrior growled threateningly but quickly complied needing to lose herself in the physical sensations coursing through her body. "Spread your legs woman! And put your face against the pallet!" Ephiny's breath caught and her heart leapt into her breast pounding madly at the lovely sight laid bare before her. She exhaled slowly as the realization hit her like a battering ram. Gods! I want this. I've always wanted this...The great Warrior Princess spread wide open and waiting for me to explore, to command. "Take a deep breath and close your eyes Xena." Inhaling shakily the Warrior complied. Clinching her small hand tightly into a fist, the Amazon paused briefly at the entrance to Xena's womanhood. Twisting her wrist back and forth, she coated her fist in the hot, gushing, wetness, letting Xena feel what she was going to get. Then Ephiny rammed her fist home with all her strength. The dark haired woman exhaled with a grunt of pain. "Come on Xena, I know you can take it. I know you want this. Tell me!!! "Yes! "Yes what!" "Yesss...I want it.....Please.....I need it..." Xena sobbed in surrender, moving ever more rapidly towards sweet oblivion. Ephiny proceeded to fuck her willing victim long, slow and hard. Each forward thrust of her fist was met with a moan of increasing desire and need from her unexpected lover.
The little Amazon ground her streaming sex against Xena's firm buttocks, grinding her newly swollen nub in tight circles against the straining muscles in Xena's firm backside. The rutting women's juices ran together down the inside and backs of their thighs to soak the tangled bedclothes beneath their heaving bodies. 'Ephiny, harder! please....I need it that way...." "My.....Pleasure.....Princess....." the little blond spat. She increased the strength and speed of her thrusting as Xena began to moan louder and more deeply, panting and groaning in between the moans.....Ephiny felt herself letting go, losing her grasp on consciousness, she couldn't hold out much longer..... Xena screamed, "OH GAIA, OH GODS!!! Ephiny joined her in release, roaring loudly with pure carnal pleasure.
The two women tumbled together onto the sheets, the smaller blond laying half on and half off the larger woman. As their heartbeats labored to return to normal and the aftershocks stilled, Ephiny could at last hear the words Xena was muttering to herself over and over. "Gabrielle...Oh gods...Gabrielle, I'm sorry, so sorry....." "Oh, sweet Artemis!" Ephiny gasped, "What in Hades have we done!" Suddenly, Xena turned over sending the lighter woman on her back flying into the wall behind them with a thud. She pulled on her shift and her leathers with lightening quick speed. Then flew barefooted from the hut into the darkness as if a horde of fire breathing dragons were hot on her tail. "HADES! HADES! HADES!" Ephiny cursed as she struggled to extricate herself from the tangled bedding, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! What a pair of fools we are!" The Amazon Queen stopped only to pull on a spare shift Xena had left draped over the end of the bed, as she was still wearing her boots, and bolted out the door after the grief driven Warrior.
Eponin staggered and banged both her shins against the watering trough as Solari tripped over a rock and sprawled face down in a mud puddle. Their eyes opened wide with shock and disbelief at the sight of their Queen streaking through the Amazon village. Xena's overly large shift flapped wildly about her calves as she ran, past the gawking Warriors, in hot pursuit of the bootless Warrior Princess. Eponin yelped as she hopped up and down trying to rub both her throbbing shins at the same time. A still blinking Solari sat up and turned her head to look at her muttering bond mate. Wiping mud from her face and flinging it to the ground Solari said, "Pony?" "Yes, Love?" "The next time I decide I wanna challenge the rest of the Royal Amazon Guard to a drinking contest, after duty....." "Yeah?" Eponin inquired. "Just go ahead and smack me upside the head with your sword hilt, throw me over your shoulder, and take me home to bed, will ya!" "Cause the Goddess knows, I gotta be hallucinating!" Solari croaked. "Solari?" "Yes, Warrior o' mine?" "You ain't seein' things, babe. I saw it too!" Eponin said with an incredulous shake of her head. "Damn!" Solari grunted, "I was afraid you were gonna say that!" "Ummm....." was the only reply the muscular Amazon Warrior gave to her lover. "Ep, should we go after them, and ya know, see if they're OK?" Eponin laughed out loud. "Are you insane!" "Uh!Uh! No way baby. This Amazon's momma didn't raise no fool!" "Besides, you look kinda sexy all covered in mud like that. Makes me wanna get in a lil wrestling practice." Eponin said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. 'Oh, Reallllyyyy???" Solari asked innocently. She got to her feet with two handfuls of mud behind her back. "Whatta ya say we start right now!" Solari lurched forward and laughed as she slathered her surprised lover's face and chest with mud. "Oh, Solari!" "You are so gonna pay for that!!!" The two women ran screaming and giggling towards their hut.
The two young Amazons on guard duty at the front gate looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. The rangy redheaded teenager shrugged again and said to her shaggy brunette companion, "Must be the full moon." Shaking her head in agreement, the brunette sniffed and replied, "Ah, Yep." "All the crazies come out during the full moon, that's for sure!" "Think we'll get like them when we're old?" the redhead wondered out loud. "Holy Aphrodite! I sure hope not!" was her partner's emphatic reply.
Laris stood in the shadow of the stables and watched as the drama between Ephiny and The Warrior Princess played itself out. She wore only a short emerald toga belted at her waist with a strip of gold cloth. Color heightened her usually pale cheeks, tinting them a vibrant pink. She was magnificent in the moonlight. She shivered but not from the caress of the gentle night breeze. The cold she felt came from the icy tendrils of doubt wrapping themselves around her heart. 'No! This is not possible!' How could her golden Queen possibly desire the dark barbarian Warrior. Could the Gladiator have misjudged the Queen's feelings so easily? Laris was sure she had felt a connection with Ephiny from the moment they met. The little blond amazon had stayed close by her side all through the day, often smiling shyly up at her, as she laughed at some witticism the Roman had related. Looking at the Gladiator with eyes that held the promise of a more intimate acquaintance to come. Laris blinked her own hooded gray eyes rapidly, and shook her head to chase away the visions of the woman she desired, wrapped in the arms of the woman she despised. 'No! My Queen deserves so much more than that soulless cretin could ever give her. No matter what it takes I will win her heart. Lord Zeus, protect you if you took her by force, my dark friend, for I shall rend you limb from limb with my bare hands!' Fists clenched tightly by her sides the angry woman strode off into night. Though, those who saw her move through the shadows, might have said she seemed to flow across the ground with the malice and lethal grace of a stalking tiger, silently seeking its prey.
Ephiny slowed to a walk as she neared the lake. The night was suddenly silent, as if holding its breath, waiting to see what would happen when the Queen found the Warrior. "Xena!" Ephiny hissed, "I know you're around her somewhere" "Answer me damn it!" "I'm here, Eph." Was the quiet reply. Xena sat with her back against a gnarled oak tree, arms wrapped around her legs, and her head resting on clasped fingers. Ephiny sunk to the ground in front of the softly sobbing Warrior. She slowly reached out a hand, laying her palm gently against Xena's cheek. "I'm sorry, Xena." "I didn't know how much you really loved her." "Neither did I....." was the dark woman's only reply. The small Amazon began to cry, "Oh, Xena...what have we done. What are we going to do???" Xena opened her arms drawing the little blonde Warrior into her embrace and cradling her gently against her chest. "I don't know, Ephiny. I really don't know....." The two women sat huddled together, each with her own private pain, for a long while. Rising only a half-candlemark before the dawn came to take separate pathways back to their own quarters.
CHAPTER VI
REUNIONS
Gabrielle halted in the clearing and raised her arms over her head, hands clasped together, in the ritual Amazon symbol of friendship. Suddenly a masked figure swooped down from a near-by tree and hit the ground running, whooping in delight. Gabrielle was lifted off the ground by strong arms and swung around in circles. A now breathless Amazon Warrior finally set the Bard's feet back on the ground and raised her feathered mask. "Solari!" Gabrielle exclaimed, her face beaming in recognition of her long time friend. "Who were you expecting? The Warrior Princess herself?" Solari teased. A look of pain ghosted across the Bard's fair features. "Xena?" Gabrielle choked out. "Xena's here?" "Er?uh, yeah. Is that a problem?" the brown haired Warrior asked hesitantly. "No, It's not a problem." The Bard quietly replied. "Well, then. Let's get you back to the village. I know Ephiny and Eponin will be thrilled to see you again, my Queen." "I'm not your Queen anymore Solari, remember?" the Bard laughed. "Oh, Gabrielle! While Ephiny has been a wonderful leader and ruler of our nation, you know you'll always be the true Queen in the hearts of your Amazon sisters." Solari wrapped her arm around Gabrielle's waist and they headed back towards the compound chatting amiably.
Ephiny and Eponin looked up from the maps they were studying to see who had entered the command center. Ephiny's eyes grew round with surprise and Eponin's eyebrows flew upward as a startled grunt escaped her mouth. Oblivious to the newcomers, Xena continued to mumble to herself as she reviewed the patrol routes of the Amazon-Centaur scouting parties. Eponin cleared her throat loudly. Xena continued to gaze at the maps. Finally, Ephiny elbowed the Warrior Princess in the side to get her attention. "Ephiny! What in Tartarus is your problem!" Xena growled as she looked up from the table. Bard and Warrior stared at each other open-mouthed. Neither woman was willing to be the first to speak.
'Oh, Artemis preserve us!' Ephiny silently beseeched her patron goddess. 'Every time these two are at odds with one another, the whole Amazon Nation seems to suffer.' If the now Amazon Queen didn't love these two stubborn, exasperating, beautiful women so much, she'd run them out of the village herself! Ephiny rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. She was surprised to find herself wishing Laris were here by her side. With a shake of her head, she resigned herself to carrying this one particular burden upon her own petite, but well-muscled shoulders. A mischievous glint entered the Queen's eyes and she spoke. "Xena, Warrior Princess, meet Gabrielle Bard of Potedaia and former queen of the Amazon Nation." Glancing briefly at a puzzled Solari and Eponin, Ephiny inclined her head towards the door. "We'll leave you two to get "acquainted" now. See you at dinner!" The three Amazons exited the hut leaving Gabrielle and Xena enveloped within an uncomfortable silence.
Gabrielle clasped her hands in front of her nervously entwining and unentwining her fingers. She lowered her gaze and stared at the floor, grown suddenly shy. Xena moved from behind the table and came to stand in front of it. As her heart climbed steadily up her throat and her knees began to weaken, she took a seat on the table top. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared defiantly at the top of the Bard's shaggy blond head. "I didn't expect you to arrive here until well after I'd gone, Gabrielle. Come to play at being Queen of the Amazons again?" she said scathingly. "I didn't expect to see you here at all, Xena. I thought you'd still be high-tailing it up north to Chin." the Bard replied as she steadily raised cool green eyes to stare into frosty blue ones. Xena surged to her feet her hands tightening into fists at her side. "How?What?Why?I?I?" the dumbfounded Warrior stuttered.
Gabrielle burst into laughter as she noted how closely the look on Xena's face mirrored that of a child caught with its hand in the proverbial cookie jar. "Oh, Xena!" she cried. "I've missed you so much! I can't stand this!" The little Bard, unexpectedly, propelled herself forward into the stunned Warrior's embrace. Caught completely off guard , Xena wrapped her arms around Gabrielle and clutched her tightly to her chest. The Warrior inhaled deeply, taking in the Bard's scent. Oh! How she'd missed the smell of the lavender oil Gabrielle used in her bath. The young woman always seemed to manage to smell like sunshine and wildflowers, no matter what the circumstance. Xena swallowed hard forcing down the lump in her throat. What a heavenly feeling it was to hold the firm, warm, little body in her arms again. 'Maybe I was wrong?..' Xena thought to herself. 'It feels so right to have her in my arms like this.'
"Gabrielle, I'm sorry I left the way I did?I should have told you, myself." "Forget it Xena, we're both here now that's all that matters. We'll work everything out." Gabrielle snaked a hand a round the taller woman's neck and roughly pulled her head down for a kiss. Xena held back for a moment and then gave in. She met Gabrielle's lips and their mouths opened, their tongues entwined, and they feasted upon one another like starved animals.
Finally, the two women broke apart for the sake of breathing. Gabrielle stared up into Xena's eyes. "Still wanna go to Chin, now?" she asked innocently. Xena growled at the Bard with mock fierceness. 'How in Hades, can this slip of a girl get under my skin so easily?' the tall Warrior mused to herself. "You might as well quit fighting it, Xena. We're destined to be together. I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth if I have too." Gabrielle ran a possessive hand up the inside of the Warrior's firm thigh and stopped to press her palm tightly against Xena's warm center. "My, My, My, you certainly are glad to see me aren't you sailor!" the little blond purred as she slipped eager fingers under the edge of the Dark haired woman's breeches and began to slowly stroke the damp, curly hair she found there. "Gabrielle! What are you doing!" the usually tight lipped Warrior squeaked out. The Bard chuckled and pushed the astounded Warrior Princess backward onto the low table she had been seated on. "You mean you don't know, my love? Well, pay close attention! I'm sure you'll figure it out real quick!"
Gabrielle again claimed Xena's mouth possessively, searing the Warrior's lips with the heat of her passion. Strong fingers suddenly entered the dark woman's inner recesses and began to thrust in and out forcefully. The Bard intended to finally lay claim to what was hers and hers alone. Xena groaned deeply into her partner's mouth as she responded heatedly to the demands of her long restrained desires for this beautiful young woman. She grabbed Gabrielle's rocking hips with desperate hands and pulled the Bard tightly against her. The smaller woman increased the pace and power of her thrusts as her wet center ground firmly against the juncture of a long, well-muscled thigh and the Warrior's heated center. "Oh gods, Xena! You feel so good!" she whispered into her partner's ear as she halted their frantic kisses. Xena could only groan for want of the now absent lips. "Gabrielle, Please?.Kiss me, Kiss me again!" The Bard chuckled as she bit down on an ear lobe and ran a wet tongue sloppily around the inside of a perfectly formed ear.
Xena moaned louder, nearly throwing Gabrielle off of her precarious perch as her straining hips bucked helplessly upward. Hungry lips came together again as the sounds of passion filled the air. Gabrielle took her thumb and pressed it firmly against Xena's swollen clit, as she began to rub it demandingly. "Yes! Yes, now! Xena?now! Come for me now! Please?." The trembling Bard cried out as she felt herself let go. Waves of intense warmth radiated outward from Gabrielle's womb in a soul consuming rush. "Oh, gods!" she screamed a final time as she convulsed with pleasure and fell limply against Xena's armor. A long, low moan escaped the Warrior's lips as she went completely rigid with the intensity of her orgasm. She wrapped her arms tightly around her young lover as she gasped for breath. "Gabrielle, love you so much?" she choked out before the tears began to fall.
The weeping Warrior pushed Gabrielle aside and stood rapidly, striding quickly across the room to stand in front of a half-opened window. "Xena! Xena! What's wrong!" a worried Gabrielle cried out as she ran to her lover and threw her arms around her shaking body. The young woman pressed her face closely against the Dark haired woman's back and held her tightly. Finally, the tears ceased and Xena turned in her Bard's arms to gaze into green eyes filled with love and concern.
"It's OK, Gabrielle. I'm all right. I just never felt such intense feelings before when I was?when I was with someone like that?." The shorter woman smiled and reached up to brush sweaty bangs off of a high forehead. "You mean when you made love to another woman?" Gabrielle inquired quietly. "No. No. I've never made "love" to anyone else before. You're the first person I've ever been with who I truly loved. "Not even Marcus or Hercules?" the Bard asked with disbelief. " Or Lao Ma?" The raven haired beauty chuckled indulgently as she cupped a small chin with gentle fingers and placed a loving kiss on the Bard's upturned face. "No, my little one, you are the only lover I've ever had who managed to lay claim to the great Warrior Princess mind, body and soul?I just wish our first time could have been under better circumstances." Xena said as she smiled and pulled Gabrielle against her in a loving embrace.
"So, Wanna be my date for the big party this evening, Warrior Princess?" the Bard teased. Xena groaned. "Let me guess. The Amazons are throwing you a big welcome home bash right?" "You got it, Warrior Babe. You know how the girls love to party!" "Gabrielle, I'd love to be your date, but I promised Tyldus I'd join him on patrols tonight. He's pretty sure we'll track down our quarry soon. I need to be there when that happens. You understand don't you?" Xena asked hopefully. "Of course I do, Love. I suppose you'll be out really late, huh?" the Bard sighed. "Probably. I'll wait for you in our hut when I return. You enjoy the party. We'll talk about all of this in the morning, OK? I'll be happy if I only get to hold you close for a few hours this night."
"Ummm?. And don't let Eph and Eponin lure you into any drinking contests at the party. Remember what happened last time? You were hung over for days!" Xena's nose wrinkled in distaste as she recalled the Bard's seemingly endless heaving. Squid wasn't the only thing that severely disagreed with the Brad's constitution!? " I'd prefer you to be sober when you come to my bed?.." Xena said with a wicked smile and a jauntily raised eyebrow. Gabrielle laughed delightedly and hugged her warrior tight. Finally things were as they should be and the Bard couldn't have been happier.
At last there were no more secrets between them. Gabrielle cringed. Well almost no secrets. How could she continue to hold out on Xena. If Xena knew the secret Gabrielle still held in her heart it would ruin everything, but how could she not tell her about it. That would be wrong too. "Gabrielle? Gabrielle? I said I have to go. Tyldus is here with his centaur scouts. Where did you go off too?" "Huh? Oh, I'm sorry Xena. I guess I'm just a bit overwhelmed right now." The Bard replied softly.
Xena drew Gabrielle into her arms again and kissed her tenderly. "Don't worry, Love. We'll work everything out. We can talk about whatever's on your mind when I return. We have the rest of our lives to be together now." The warrior squeezed her lover tightly one more time and headed out into the courtyard.
A smiling Solari poked her head into the hut as Xena exited. "Come on, Gabrielle! We've got a party to plan!" her friend babbled excitedly. "I'm coming, Solari. Keep, your breeches on, will ya!" The two women headed towards the dining hut laughing and talking animatedly.
CHAPTER VII
HEARTS DIVIDED
The celebration was in full swing. It wasn't every day the Amazon Nation got to welcome home their true Queen and the fine Amazon wines and liquors flowed like water. Gabrielle hiccuped and then covered her mouth with a hand as she giggled furiously. Ephiny groaned as she was forced to drink again. The bitter port they were imbibing left a trail of molten fire down her throat. "Whew!", Ephiny gasped, her eyes tearing up. "I thought you never, (hiccup!) played thish' game before my Queen, oops! Er?ummm? Gabrielle." "I haven't my Regent, er, uh "Queen Ephiny" I should say. I just happen to have very good hand-eye coordination." "I am a Bard afterall!" "Besides how difficult can it be to bounce a dinar into that little mug anyway?" Ephiny wasn't sure what being a Bard had to do with coordination, but she was most definitely getting her Amazon Warrior ass, thoroughly kicked by her Bardic competitor ! Gabrielle giggled again as Ephiny tried in vain to focus her blurry eyes on the coin she held in her hand. Thump! Plink! Kerplunk! The dinar finally hit its target. "Ah, hah! I did it! You have to drink this time Gabs!" The Bard wrinkled her nose in distaste, Ew! "Come on Gabrielle, you gotta?" Ephiny prodded. The Bard pinched her nostrils, tilted her head back, and tossed the port down quickly. "OOPS! The little Bard squeaked and began to gag furiously. Ephiny pounded her soundly on the back. "Are you, OK?" "Uh, Yeah", Gabrielle smiled sheepishly, "But I think I swallowed the dinar?" "What!" the Amazon exclaimed overtaken by laughter. Her body shaking with mirth, Ephiny smiled and gasped?.. "Don't worry?..Heh! Heh! Heh! Gabrielle." "I'm sure?Oh! Hee! Hee! Hee!" "It'll all come out OK! Ah. Hah! Hah! Hah!" "Very funny, Eph! Oh, you're a real riot!" Gabrielle carelessly backhanded the still howling Ephiny, in the chest, causing her to tip over backwards. Pinwheeling her arms wildly, the Amazon leader fell off the bench she was seated on to hit the ground with a big Oomph! "Ephiny! Are you, OK?" Gabrielle inquired, still snickering?. "Oh, Yeah! Jus' fine, never better?.." Leaning over to give the blond Amazon a hand up, Gabrielle was suddenly overcome by a wave of dizziness, and toppled off the bench to land on top of her helpless friend . "Oof! Ow!" "Gabrielle!!! Get your elbow out of my stomach!" "Huh? Oh! Sorry 'bout that!" The tipsy women climbed slowly to their feet and then hastily brushed themselves off, straightening their clothing and trying to pull together the remaining shreds of their dignity. "Ummm?..Gabrielle, I think we should call it a night." "Um yeah, Eph I think you're right?But let's stop by the cooking hut and grab a bite to eat first, OK?" "Sure, Gabrielle, sounds great to me." The Queen and Bard staggered off into the night arms wrapped around each other's waist.
As they entered the dining hall Ephiny steered Gabrielle to the nearest bench and sat her down gently. Bowing exaggeratedly, Ephiny said in her most formal tones, "Wait here, your most exhalted majesty, and I, you're loyal servant shall return with a repast fit for an Amazon Princess!" Gabrielle rolled her eyes and shook her head, playfully dismissing her companion with a regal wave of her hand.
"Gabrielle, All I could find was some cheese, bread and fruit, is that, OK? I didn't think it would be safe for me to try and cook anything in the state I'm in. I mean I've never been very domestically inclined anyway, and?.."
Gabrielle sat with her head cradled in her hands, fingers pushed upwards into her short, shaggy, blond hair. "Gabrielle?" The blond amazon deposited the tray of food and drink on the table and sat down next to the Bard. "What's the matter?" Gabrielle groaned and looked at Ephiny through bleary, red eyes. "I don't feel so good, Eph. I think I drank too much." The Bard choked out. "Xena, is gonna be so pissed! She told me not to drink too much tonight! She had plans for us and I'm afraid I'm a bit too tipsy to hold up my end of the bargain" Gabrielle replied as she started to giggle helplessly. "Plans?" a puzzled Ephiny asked. "Yeah, you know plans?" the Bard said as she winked an eye and elbowed the other woman in the side. "Oh! Oh! Those kind of plans?." Ephiny stuttered. "I thought you and?um?Xena were angry with one another." "Well, Eph. Sometimes a Bards gotta do what a Bards gotta do. Ya know?" Gabrielle said as she waggled her eyebrows suggestively. 'Oh gods. She can't possibly know. There's no way Xena told her about us.' the increasingly distressed Ephiny thought to herself with growing alarm.
Gabrielle suddenly drew herself upright, and began to speak softly, as she stared dreamily up at the thatched roof above her. "Have you ever thought about what it would be like to make love to someone like Xena? To be owned, to be possessed by her fiery need? To be totally devoured, ravaged beyond belief! Just think of it, Eph! All that power and passion wrapped up so tightly, for so long, in that hard, strong body...Just waiting for the right lover to come along and open the floodgates, releasing the lust crazed warrior within!" Gabrielle threw her head back farther and closed her eyes. She wrapped her arms tightly about herself and sighed deeply as a soft whimper of desire rose to her lips.
The Queen suddenly choked and began to sputter helplessly as her draught of ale went down the wrong way. Ephiny glanced sideways at Gabrielle as she struggled to draw a breath. "No, Gabrielle" the Amazon replied, "I um?Er?um?hadn't really given it a thought." The Amazon ruler choked out. Gabrielle leaned over and pounded her bench-mate solidly on the back until she could draw a full breath again.
A thoughtful look crept into the Bard's eyes as she observed her close friend. Cold tendrils of dread started to form in her stomach. 'She's got a secret she's keeping from me.' The Amazon Bard thought. 'Oh gods! No! Could there be someone else? Was that why Xena was really so surprised to see me? But if there had been another woman, why would she have said all those wonderful things to me today. Why would she have said she loved me? Is she still hiding something from me. Seems maybe I'm not the only one who still has secrets.' The Bard's gaze narrowed dangerously.
"Ephiny! You're hiding something from me! Tell me! We're talking about the woman I love more than life itself. I would die for her. You know this is so! She's my heart, my soul, and my destiny. Ephiny, if you know something that might effect my future relationship with Xena you have to tell me!" The little bard's chest heaved and her voice began to quiver as she struggled to control her seething emotions.
"Oh, Gabrielle!" Ephiny wailed, falling to her knees before her best friend. "I'm so sorry! So sorry! It was a mistake! It just happened! It?It?didn't mean anything. Xena was so upset, so distraught?Things just got out of hand and before I could stop them?"
"You! You! The Bard cried leaping to her feet. "How could you! How?How dare you!" Gabrielle shoved Ephiny forcefully away from her sending the shocked woman sprawling onto her back in the dirt. Gabrielle towered over the supine amazon, her eyes wild with rage, betrayal, and pain. Ephiny scrambled to her feet unsteadily and placed her hands on Gabrielle's shoulders.
"Gabrielle, please calm down and let me explain." Ephiny pleaded. "Explain what! How you betrayed me, how you deceived me, how you stole the woman I love from me!" the furious Bard screamed. The little blond drew back her arm and delivered a bone jarring slap to the other woman's face. "Don't touch me, Ephiny. Don't?You?Dare touch me?" Gabrielle growled menacingly as her eyes blazed with fury. The irate Bard shoved Ephiny away from her violently, sending her sprawling into the table behind her. Ephiny bounced of the hard wooden bench and landed on the floor again sending a small cloud of dust puffing up around her.
The infuriated Amazon Bard stormed from the dining hall screeching madly into the night, "Xeeennnaaaaa!!!!!" "Oh, Ares be damned!" Ephiny spat. Leaping to her feet, her head still spinning, she sprinted towards Xena's hut.
Laris jumped up from the bench where she was seated, while talking with Eponin, as Gabrielle and Ephiny flew by them. Placing a hand on her sword hilt she turned her head towards Eponin with a jerk. "What in Zeus's name is going on, are we being attacked?" "Uh, uh" was the terse reply from Eponin who continued to sip her port. Solari poked her head out the hut door. "Are they at it again, Pony?" "It would seem so, love. Only this time Ephiny was chasing after Gabrielle." "Gaia, where does she get her stamina from. Then again maybe she has a death wish. Doesn't she know Xena will kill her for going after Gabrielle?" Solari shook her head in awe. Laris's eyebrows were now buried in her hairline as she stared in disbelief at her companions. Eponin laughed. "Way it sounded to me, Solari, Xena is the one in danger of dire physical harm!" "Huh?" Solari grunted.
"Perhaps you two find this funny, but I hardly see the cause for mirth as something deadly serious seems to be about to occur. I for one am going to assist the Queen?and of course the small Bard." Tossing her cape over her shoulder, the gray eyed, ash haired Gladiator stalked off after the other women. "Yep" Eponin drawled. "She's got it bad all right." "Pony, whatever are you talking about? Sometimes you drive me crazy with all that cryptic Warrior crap. You've been hanging around the Warrior princess way too much I think!" Solari barked as she crossed her arms across her chest in a huff. "I only meant that Laris is obviously quite taken with Ephiny." Eponin soothed her mates ruffled feathers with practiced ease. Sighing, she rose from her seat and began to walk towards Xena's hut. Smiling, Solari moved quickly to catch up with her lover. She slipped her hand into Eponin's and looked up at her adoringly. Eponin smiled back giving her partner's hand a reassuring squeeze. 'Nope!' Eponin mused to herself. 'I'm not whipped at all. No sir! Not me?Uh!, Uh!?Yeah, right! Who am I kidding! This hot lil amazon babe has got me wrapped completely around her little finger, and I'm loving every moment of it!' She smiled back at her bond mate again and sighed contentedly.
Xena leapt straight up in the air and landed on her feet by the bed, sword drawn and ready in her hand. She shivered slightly as a chill ran up her spine causing the hair at the nape of her neck to stand at attention. 'Hera's tits!' the Warrior thought to herself. 'What in the world is that awful screeching all about! Oh, for the love of Zeus! What now!' Xena suddenly realized "exactly" what the source of the commotion was as another unearthly scream rent the night air.
"Xeeennaaaa! By all the gods on Mount Olympus! I'm going to kill you! I swear it!" "Gabrielle! Please?wait?" Ephiny called out as she hastened to catch her former Queen. "Damn you Ephiny!" Xena swore under her breath. "I should have known you couldn't keep a secret from her!"
Just as Xena put aside her weapon, squared her shoulders and headed outside, a blond cannon ball of fury flew through the door and slammed into her chest. Warrior and Bard hit the pallet behind them with an audible thump. Gabrielle immediately began to pummel Xena about the head and chest screaming and shaking with rage. The hapless Warrior tried to shield her face from the crazed Bard with her hands. 'So much for the path of goodness and light!' Xena thought briefly. "Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Stop this right now! I don't want to hurt you!" the Warrior commanded. "You don't want to hurt me! You don't want to hurt me! Seems like you've already done that a thousand times over! I hate you Xena! I hate you!" the Bard yelled in frustration just as she managed to land a lucky punch to the stunned Warrior's face. Blood spurted from Xena's nose and sprayed across Gabrielle's chest. Both Bard and Warrior froze and gazed at each other in horror. Tears welled up in Xena's eyes and began to spill down her cheeks 'Why? Why? I thought you loved me?' the confused Warrior cried silently to herself. "Oh gods!?Xena. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Gabrielle choked out.
Xena grasped her attacker by the arms and tossed her aside onto the bedding. The raven-haired woman stood and wiped the blood from her face. One lone drop rolled down her chin and landed on her white shift. Xena moved as if she were deeply stunned. She vainly tried to wipe away the spreading stain, only succeeding in smearing it wider.
"Gabrielle?" she called out in a pain filled whisper. "Gabrielle?" Xena held her bloody fingers out towards her partner as if in supplication. The words "I hate you" rang through her mind over and over driving the knife of pain in her heart deeper and deeper with each repetition.
"Oh, Xena?" the Bard said in a quavering voice. "I didn't mean it! I was just so angry with you and Ephiny. I thought you loved me. How could you give yourself to another so easily?" "What about you, Gabrielle? What about Najara?" Xena asked in a deadly whisper, as she stared deeply into the Bard's green eyes. "What were you off doing with Najara while I lay bleeding and unconscious on the floor of that tavern?" "How did you know about Najara and I? That I was?with her?that?way?" Gabrielle asked with a look of deep shock on her face. It was the last thing on Mother Gaia, that she had expected to come out of her lover's mouth. "I didn't Gabrielle. I didn't until now?" The blood continued to drip onto Xena's shift. Gabrielle stared transfixed as each drop added to the growing stain.
The Warrior gathered her belongings quietly and turned to leave. She was blinded by the searing pain that gripped her heart like a vise. 'Guess that's what I get for believing she'd never lie to me again. Guess that's what always happens when you trust someone. When you love someone.' The voice in Xena's head laughed maniacally as if to say "I told you, so! I told you so!". "Xena! Please don't go! I LOVE YOU!?I LOVE YOU! Please don't go?" the devastated young woman begged.
The dark Warrior kept on walking. She stared straight ahead as she passed the four women standing silently outside her hut. She paused briefly to glance over her shoulder at Ephiny. "I'll be at the centaur village, Ephiny. I will continue to run the patrols from there." Xena turned to leave then stopped again. "It's not your fault, Ephiny. I just wanted you to know that. I'm sorry. Please. Please take care of Gabrielle. She'll need you." A few moments later the echo of Argo's hoof beats sounded on the air. The night grew deadly silent except for the sound of the Amazon Princesses' bitter sobs.
Solari looked at the other women standing motionless around her. "I'll see to Gabrielle. Pony would you please bring us a skin of wine? Be sure you stop by the healer's hut on the way back and pick up some sleeping powders to put in it." "Sure, Love." Eponin murmured and hurried away to carry out her tasks. Solari stepped into the darkened room to attend her heartbroken friend.
CHAPTER VII
HEALING THE WOUNDS
I Will Not Forget You
I remember the nights I watched as you lay sleeping
Your body gripped by some faraway dream
Well, I was so scared and so in love then
And so lost in all of you that I had seen
But no one ever talked in the darkness
No voice ever added fuel to the fire
No light ever shone in the doorway
Deep in the hollow of earthly desires
But if in some dream there was brightness
If in some memory some sort of sigh
And flesh be revived in the shadows
Blessed our bodies would lay so entwined
And I will, Oh I will not forget you
Nor will I ever let you go
I will, Oh I will not forget you
I remember when you left in the morning at daybreak
So silent you stole from my bed
To go back to the one who possesses your soul
And I back to the life that I dread
So I ran like the wind to the water
Please don't leave me again I said
And I threw bitter tears at the ocean
But all that came back was the tide?
{Sarah MacLachlan}
Strong hands caught the Amazon Queen as her knees buckled and she sagged towards the ground. Laris scooped the petite blond into her arms and strode briskly towards her hut. Ephiny laid her head on the Gladiator's shoulder and cried. The gray-eyed Warrior pressed a gentle kiss to the golden curls brushing her chin. She clutched her precious cargo more tightly to her breast. Laris's heart ached for the woman in her arms. She sent a desperate plea to Aphrodite to help her comfort the beautiful Amazon she had come to love.
As Laris entered her hut she set Ephiny gently on her feet. Her arms continued to encircle the shorter woman in a loose embrace. "Why did you bring me here, Gladiator?" "You shouldn't be alone like this, not when you are in such pain. My dear lady you give so much of yourself to others?.I stand in awe of your generous heart and loving nature. If there is any way I can ease your pain you need only ask. I would give anything to be able to take your sorrow onto my own shoulders. You are far too beautiful, my Queen, to shed so many tears and feel such pain."
Ephiny's arms crept slowly around the Gladiator's neck. Their lips halted just inches from touching. "Is there anything else you want to tell me Laris?" Ephiny husked in a sexy voice laden thick with promise. "Yes, my dear one. There is one more thing. I love you. I love you with all my heart and soul. You hold me captive within the strength of your gentle embrace." Their lips touched and they both moaned at the contact. Laris entered Ephiny's mouth slowly exploring every crook and crevice with an adoring tongue. She moved firm hands to play over the muscles in the Amazon's back pressing their bodies tightly together. They swayed together to the rhythm of their growing passion for one another.
The fervor of their kisses increased and hands began to grasp and knead every inch of exposed flesh on their bodies. With a growl Laris tore off her cape and dropped her weapons and armor to the ground. Capable fingers made quick work of Ephiny's clothes. The little Amazon returned the favor and soon the two lovers stood naked before one another. Their eyes followed the moonlight which gently caressed lightly perspiring bodies. It slipped and slid sensuously over every curve to illuminate their skin with an ethereal translucence.
Ephiny inhaled sharply and reached again for her new lover. Suddenly she halted and drew away crossing her arms protectively across her chest. "Oh Laris, I don't deserve you! After all I've done, how can you want me. After what I did with Xena? After the way I betrayed my best friend?" The taller woman lifted her soon to be lover's chin with a soft touch and stared into brown eyes filled with pain and regret.
"Did she?did she force herself on you?" the Gladiator asked softly as she cupped Ephiny's face gently in her strong fingers. "What? No! No!?I could have stopped her?" she said staring once more at the floor. Laris took a deep breath before asking her next question. "Do you love her?" Brown eyes looked up into gray and a gentle smile stole across the Amazon Queen's mouth. "No Laris, I don't love her." A shaking hand reached up to gently trace the gladiator's chiseled features. " I don't love, Xena. It's you I love, it's you I want to stand by my side. It's you I want as my champion." Cold gray eyes melted as they filled with love and tenderness.
"Then forget about her. That is in the past and can't be undone, my love. Just know this. There is nothing in your past, as far as I am concerned, that can change how I feel for you right now. We all have our regrets. However, I shall never regret loving you and I will always be your champion for as long as you have need of me." The ash haired Roman lifted Ephiny's strong young body and carried her to the bed. "Sweet Artemis you are beautiful Ephiny." "As are you my Gladiator. Come to me now. I want to love you with my body as I do with my heart. The two women melted together and began to explore each other with hungry mouths and eager fingers.
Solari sat by Gabrielle and rubbed her back soothingly as the young woman sobbed. "Here, Gabrielle. Drink this, it will help ease the pain." The Amazon Warrior said as she handed the Bard a mug of wine. Gabrielle blew her nose and continued to sniffle quietly. She studied her fingernails intently for a long moment as she tried to gather her thoughts. Finally she spoke. "I've made such a mess of things, Solari. Xena will never forgive me this time." "Well, what happened, Gabrielle? What made Xena leave like that?" Gabrielle sighed in resignation and squared her shoulders before answering. "Do you remember the story I told you about Najara, The Crusader?" she asked. "Yes, I remember. She was the one Xena left you with." Solari patiently replied.
"Well, Xena came back for me after she discovered the true nature of Najara's religion. She feared the Crusader might turn on me some day, if I ever disagreed with her particular religious dogma. When Xena returned to challenge Najara's hold on me, to show me my idol's true nature, the Crusader nearly killed her. She would have killed Xena if I hadn't begged her not to, if I hadn't agreed to leave Xena behind and return to her crusade. So, I left with Najara, the person who nearly destroyed the woman I love?" Gabrielle swallowed nervously. "When we returned to the Crusader's camp, I found that?that?I was very?Um?Aroused. I suppose the sight of two strong, beautiful warriors fighting over me was?well, very um, inspirational?and then she and I, well we were intimate with one another." The Bard paused to gulp down her wine, completely emptying the mug. Solari's eyebrows rose in surprise but she said nothing, allowing the young blond woman time to regain her composure.
"While Xena was lying unconscious in a puddle of blood on the floor, because of me mind you, I was with another woman. The worst thing about it is?that there was this part of me that was so angry with Xena, because she wouldn't let herself love me, that?that?I was glad she got hurt! I wanted her to feel the pain, the pain that I'd lived with for so long. Wanting her, needing her so badly and not being able to touch her, hold her, love her?When she was right there! I did what I did out of spite, not just to save her life, like she thinks. I did it because I was jealous of all her past lovers; Marcus, Hercules, Lao Ma, Borias?I didn't understand why she could love them but not me! So, I hurt her the only way I knew how, like a child in a fit of pique, I took another lover for myself. Only, afterwards, I was too ashamed to tell her. So, really Solari?I don't deserve her. I don't deserve Xena?All I ever do is betray her, hurt her?" Gabrielle's voice trailed away as she stared desolately at the floor.
"What's even worse though?" the Bard sniffed and hunched her shoulders in despair. "What's worse is that not only did I betray Xena once with Najara, I did it again, the next time our paths crossed. She claimed to have changed, to have seen the "light", and like a naïve fool I believed her. Xena warned me not to trust her, but I wouldn't listen. I never listen to her. I defended Najara, and once again she tried to destroy Xena. She held me back and prevented me from going to Xena's aid when she was hurt in a fight. Then when the brigands Xena was battling failed to kill her, Najara tried to finish the job. So, I can understand if she doesn't forgive me." The Bard finished with a deep sigh.
Solari remained silent in thought for a while, then took Gabrielle's hands in her own as she spoke. "Gabrielle, a lot has happened between you and Xena. You've both hurt each other, both made mistakes, and deeply disappointed one other. Xena is an ex-warlord, Gabrielle. She struggles with her inner demons constantly. It's only natural she would want to protect you from all that darkness, "because" she loves you. The two of you weren't lovers and had made no commitment to one another when you were with Najara, no matter what your reason for becoming intimate with her was. What Xena did with Ephiny, may have also been done for the wrong reasons, but still she'd not pledged herself to you. The question is, will the two of you ever let go of past mistakes, or will you insist on punishing yourselves and each other needlessly forever. What's it gonna be, Gabrielle? Can you forgive Xena, as well as, yourself?" Gabrielle looked up at Solari and smiled gently. "Yes, I forgive her. I love her and I know she loves me too. I'll have to work on the forgiving myself part for a while, though." Solari squeezed the Bard's hand reassuringly. "Give her a few days to cool off. I'm sure she'll see things the same as you, after she's had time to think them over for a while. Now try to get some sleep, OK?" Gabrielle yawned and glanced down at her empty wine mug. "Solari? Did you put something in my wine to make me sleep?" "Who, me? I'd never do a thing like that!" the brown-haired warrior replied, her eyes opened wide in innocence. The exhausted Bard was asleep before Solari walked out the door.
Xena pushed Argo to her limits. The wind whipped her long ebony tresses about her face wildly. The Warrior closed her eyes, threw back her head, and wailed like a banshee. 'Why! Why! Why does everyone I care about always end up hurting me, lying to me, and betraying my trust! Damn it, Gabrielle! Still, still you keep secrets from me! Still you lie to me! How could you! How could you??' Xena opened her eyes and slowly shook her head. She slowed Argo to a gentle canter. 'But, I suppose I'm no better, am I? Maybe Hercules is right. Maybe you gave yourself to Najara because I wouldn't let you have me?I kept running away from the light of your love. I wrapped myself up in an impenetrable cloak of my own dark past. I just?Oh, nothing makes sense anymore!'
She leaned low over Argo's neck and urged the powerful mare, to once more fly swiftly across the meadow, as she tried vainly to outrun all the pain which chased after them.
Soon, the Centaur village came into view. It looked deserted in the stark moonlight, unreal, as if it were merely a figment of the Warrior's feverish imagination. Xena pulled Argo up and hailed the century she knew would be hidden nearby. He stepped out of the shadows of a large oak tree, his bow tautly drawn and pointed right at Xena's heart. "Who seeks entrance to the Centaur village?" he called out clearly. "Xena?I've?I've come to see Tyldus."
Recognizing the Warrior Princess, the century lowered his bow and waved her onward. The dark-haired woman trotted Argo past the guard, slowing her to a walk as she neared Tyldus's hut. She patted Argo's sweaty neck and sighed deeply. "Why do I suddenly feel like a errant child, who will most likely soon be getting a stern lecture, from old horse face in there? Huh, Argo?" 'I guess it is kinda silly for me, a big strong warrior, to keep running away from an itsy, bitsy, lil Bard. Maybe I should just go back to the Amazon village, before he realizes I'm here?' Just as Xena started to turn Argo and leave, Tyldus appeared in his doorway. "Xena? What's Happened! Has there been another attack on our neighbors?" he asked with mounting concern. "Er, um?no actually?I, just um?needed someone to talk to?" Xena stammered. She was glad it was dark outside as she could feel the blood rush to her face!
The Centaur leader stood in the doorway blinking, with a puzzled look on his face, as he examined the woman before him. "Xena, do you realize your nose is bleeding? How did that happen?" he queried as an amused grin started to tug at the corner of his mouth. "Huh? Oh, Yeah." The warrior absently wiped the blood from her nose as she hung her head in embarrassment. Much to her chagrin she also realized as she gazed downward, that her leathers were on inside out.
"Oh, for the love of?" "What was that?" Tyldus asked his lips now parting in a smile. "I didn't quite hear what you said. Speak up, Warrior!" Xena slumped lower in the saddle as she again mumbled her reply. "Hand a little accident. With Gabrielle. It's no big deal." At this point Tyldus gave in and laughed out loud. "That little Amazon Bard bloodied your nose! She's?She's just a little girl!" The centaur laughed louder for a few more moments, until he had to stop and grasp his aching sides. "I'm sorry, Xena. I really shouldn't laugh at you. Please, tend to Argo and then come back here and we'll talk. I believe I still have a rather nicely aged bottle of spirits lurking about somewhere..." As Xena turned her mount towards the stables, Argo nickered long and slowly. The whinny sounded oddly like an echo of Tyldus's mirth. Xena muttered darkly to herself. "Great! You too, Argo? Even my own horse is laughing at me! Oh, this is really good for a girl's ego! Just wonderful. Hah! Hah! Hah! Hope everybody had a good laugh!" She quickly bedded Argo down, rearranged her clothing, and returned to the Centaur's hut. She knocked briefly and then entered the room. Tyldus met her with a mug of port and nodded for her to take a seat by the hearth.
Xena sat motionless while she contemplated the froth around the edge of her mug. The room was silent except for their breathing and the occasional swish of the centaur's tail.
Finally, Tyldus cleared his throat and spoke. "My friend, I can see you have something which weighs heavily upon your mind. I have a feeling though, that it has nothing to do, with the outlaws we both seek to bring to justice. Forgive me for making fun of you earlier. I am truly sorry. Now, please, tell me what it is that causes you such great distress."
The dark warrior slowly raised her eyes to meet those of her one time enemy. A smile of irony touched her beautiful lips briefly as she recalled how much her life had changed over the past few years. Most of her new found happiness, and unfortunately, her deepest sorrows could all be attributed to one small bard from Poteidaia. "Ahem?Yes?Well Tyldus it seems I have a few small?or actually one rather bard-size problem?" The centaur ruler raised an eyebrow as he settled his arms across a well-muscled chest. "Ah?You speak of the Princess Gabrielle. She is a beautiful young woman. Quite the catch for the right warrior. Does she favor a bond-mate you do not approve of?"
"Well, not exactly, Tyldus?She?She says she wants me. She says she loves me. The only problem is?is, that we keep hurting each other and betraying one another's trust. I?I'm afraid of what giving her my heart totally might cost me. Even as friends we've found it hard to be honest and truly open with each other?" Xena's voice trailed away as her shoulders slumped in dejection. Her throat had become inexplicably dry and she found it impossible to continue speaking. "Has it ever occurred to you, Xena, that perhaps denying your love for one another is exactly what has caused this lack of trust and the inability to communicate openly and honestly with each other?"
Tyldus stepped forward and raised the blue-eyed woman's head with his fingers. "I'm going to ask you a few simple questions my child?and I want you to look in my eyes as you answer them?from your heart. Do you love her?" The warrior swallowed hard and could do nothing more than nod her agreement. "Then tell me, Xena, what will it cost you to deny her love?" Xena slid off the stool she was seated on and fell to her knees. Tears streamed down her dusky cheeks as she struggled to form the words she so desperately needed to say.
When she spoke, every word felt as if it had been torn from the depths of her very soul with red hot pinchers. Her inner visions were far more painful than any wound inflicted by a torturer's instruments could ever be. "The vision Tyldus. My vision. Oh Gods!" she wailed in mortal agony. "How can I dare to fulfill my own selfish needs when it will surely bring the woman I love such an agonizing death! To see her hung on the cross, her lips blue from the cold?To face the horrible pain in her eyes as those soulless Romans drive nails through her beautiful hands! The blood, Oh Gods! The blood! So red against the cold, white ground. Her soft, gentle hands?" The once mighty warlord cried out as she held her own callused palms up before her as if in prayer. "hands which have always been so gentle and kind to me. I can't?I can't even bare to think of the fear she will face, the terror she will endure as she writhes on the cross, desperate for one more breath. The pain which will cloud her emerald eyes as she watches me die, realizing her own end is near?How! How can I condemn my lover, my best friend, and my soul-mate to such a fate? And for what purpose? Just because she?she? loves me? How can I possibly accept her love?" The once arrogant Destroyer of Nations buried her face in her hands and sobbed, her body quaking with the devastating guilt and pain that had haunted her soul for so long.
"Xena, look at me." The Centaur gently commanded. "What if nothing you can do will change your fate. What if it is Gabrielle who is destined for the cross, not you? What if loving her brings about "Your" death at Caesar's hands? Would you turn away from her? Would you still deny yourself her love then? Would you deny her your friendship, your love?" Xena gasped for breath as she fought to calm her raging emotions. Finally she whispered a quiet, "No. I would not deny her." "I thought not." Tyldus softly replied. Then he drew a deep breath and continued. "So I say this to you, my dear friend?What if the end comes for you both tomorrow, be it in the form of Roman soldiers or Centaur Brigands. What, my friend?Will having denied your love for Gabrielle, have cost you then? Would you rather look in her eyes one last time and see only regrets, sorrows and the ghosts of what might have been?because you refused to trust, to share your secrets, your pain?..Or will you be able to find solace in each other's gaze knowing you loved one another well?with all your mind, body and soul."
The night once again grew silent and still as the Warrior pondered the Centaur's words. At last she raised her chin determinedly and spoke in a voice filled with strength and resolution. "You are right, Tyldus. I have been such a fool. Such a fool?" Xena picked herself up off the ground and brushed the dirt from her leathers. A smile slowly stole across her face and a light began to shine in her eyes. The love for Gabrielle that had been held hostage in her heart, for so long, had at last been set free. Tyldus reached out and clasped Xena's arm and placed a comforting hand on her other shoulder. He nodded in support and approval of her decision. "Go to your lover, Xena. You've kept her waiting far too long?"
Suddenly, a cry rang out in the night. The Centaur and the dark warrior turned and sped out of the hut towards the center of the village. Brasias had returned from his scouting expedition. The band of rouge centaurs and Roman deserters had finally been located about three day's ride to the north west of the Amazon compound. Tyldus looked at Xena an apology already forming on his lips. "It's all right, Tyldus. Gabrielle has waited this long, I'm sure a few more days won't make that much of a difference." She said with a wry grin.
Tyldus turned to his second in command. "Rouse the men and begin preparations immediately! We move out at first light! See to it a messenger and guide is sent to the Amazons at once. We will meet up with them and combine our forces for the attack at the half-way point. Move now! Quickly!" He barked. The century on duty sounded the call to arms and the centaur village burst into life. The well trained soldiers awoke quickly and hurried to prepare for their departure.
"Brasias!" Xena called out. " Send your messenger to me before he goes to alert the Amazon Queen. I have an important message for the Princess!" A sly smile curled one corner of the centaur lieutenant's mouth as he winked lustily at the warrior before him. "You betcha, Xena! Wouldn't want to worry your sweetheart. Now then, would we!" The leather clad woman groaned and rolled her eyes. What was it with everyone, the raven haired beauty mused. 'It would seem that Gabrielle and I were the only ones not aware we were an item!' She slapped the centaur forcefully on the withers as she strode away with a bittersweet smile decorating her lips. The god of war's timing was impeccable as always!
She hurried to find parchment and a quill so that she might send Gabrielle a message before her early morning departure. 'I know I'm not much good with words, my love?but I'll give it my best effort.'
My Dearest Gabrielle,
I don't have the words to truly express to you all that is in my heart at this moment. I only know that I have been a fool in the past. No longer will I let fear or doubt cloud my mind and keep me from expressing that which I so deeply feel for you. I love you, Gabrielle. I love you so much that it hurts sometimes. I need you so badly it scares me to the depths of my being. I would be nothing without you. You are the light and the joy in my life, little one. I swear to you that I will never deny my true feelings for you again. I will never leave you behind again. What more can I say? Forgive your Warrior, my Bard. If you will still have me I am yours. My arms ache to hold you. My lips yearn to kiss you. I carry your sweet smile in my heart. I go in the morning with Tyldus and the centaurs to meet our common foe on the field of battle. Stay safe with the Amazons until my return.
I love you
X.
Xena stepped out into the darkness to give the centaur guide her message to Gabrielle.
"Make sure you place this directly in Princess Gabrielle's hands yourself! Do you understand?" She tersely stated to the young messenger. He brusquely nodded in agreement, than turned and galloped away into the darkness.
The tall warrior bowed her head and sent a brief, but heartfelt prayer to Artemis. 'Artemis I beg of you?Keep my love safe until I return. I swear to you I shall love her with all my heart and soul from this day forward. I will never hurt her again! Never!' The Warrior Princess then turned her eyes toward the Amazon village where her young lover slept and called across the distance in her mind. 'I LOVE YOU, GABRIELLE! I LOVE YOU!' She then moved purposefully toward the stables to help prepare for the battle ahead.
CHAPTER VIII
ON A DARKLING PLAIN
Gabrielle's eyes flew open and she bolted upright in bed. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, as she drew in a deep breath. 'Xena?' she called out in her mind. She rose from the pallet and moved towards the doorway, not quite sure what had awakened her. Gabrielle could almost have sworn she'd heard the Warrior's voice calling to her from afar. Suddenly the clatter of hooves could be heard coming towards her through the dark of night. A centaur messenger became visible in the shadows and soon slid to an abrupt halt before her. 'Oh gods, no! Please don't let anything have happened to Xena.' The Bard silently pled.
The young centaur bowed at the knees holding out a rolled scroll for her acceptance. "Princess Gabrielle. I was instructed to deliver this message directly to your hands and no one else's." Gabrielle gulped audibly and reached out shaking fingers for the parchment. She pressed the other hand tightly against her heart, fearful of what her eyes would soon read. As she could not find her voice she leaned heavily against the door frame and began to silently read as the messenger danced impatiently from hoof to hoof. As her mind slowly started to comprehend the words scrawled across the paper in Xena's less than perfect hand, she began to giggle helplessly in relief.
The Amazon Princess absently waved the young centaur away as she stumbled back into the hut and collapsed into the nearest chair with a boneless thud. The Bard then threw her head back and laughed until she cried. The tension and heartache of the last few days drained slowly away and left her feeling peaceful and calm within. 'She loves me. She really loves me! Oh, sweet Artemis, thank you! Oh, Xena, my love?' The little bard began to weep again, but this time she wept tears of joy.
Finally, the crying stopped and she jumped to her feet, eyes wide with excitement. Her heart was truly overflowing with joy and she knew she would sleep no more this night. The morning was still several candlemarks away?If she hurried, she could reach the centaur village before Xena left! Gabrielle dressed quickly. She scribbled a short note to Ephiny and placed it on the table top. Then she grabbed her new staff and fled into the night, determined nothing would keep her from her lover's arms.
"Gabrielle!" Ephiny called out as she neared the Bard's hut a couple of candlemarks later. "Gabrielle! Tyldus has sent word that?" her voice faded away as she realized she was alone. Ephiny frowned as she looked around the empty room. Her eyes finally alit on the small piece of parchment in the middle of the table top. As she read what the hastily written message said, her frown changed into a worried grimace. 'Oh no! Every time Xena tells her to stay put and she doesn't, something horrible comes to pass! Xena will break more than my arm this time if I let anything happen to Gabrielle! Hades! Gabrielle?why can't you ever just listen! '
The Amazon Queen began to bellow orders as she stormed through the village. "Eponin! Solari! Here to me now!" The weapons master and her lover sped to their Queen's side. She didn't bother to yell for Laris, as she instinctively knew her Champion, would have already anticipated her actions. Ephiny smiled fondly up at the waiting Roman, as she burst into the command center, her eyes filled with fiery intensity. "Eponin, Laris?I have a special mission for you both." Two pairs of eyebrows rose in mild surprise. "It would seem our dear Bard has decided to leave the safety of the village on her own. I need you to move swiftly to intercept her and then escort her directly to our rally point with the centaur troops."
"Where has she gone and why! Surely she knows it's unsafe for anyone to travel alone right now! We haven't the time for this distraction with the battle so near at hand!" Eponin spat out in frustration. Laris placed a comforting hand on the Amazon's shoulder. She realized a great deal of Eponin's anger came from the anxiety of having to leave Solari behind. Laris was not too happy about being separated from her Queen at this point in time herself. "Of course, my love. We will find the young Bard and likely arrive at the rally point before your warriors. No doubt she is on her way to the centaur village right now." Ephiny nodded her affirmation. The gray-eyed woman kissed her lover's hand and then pulled Ephiny against her in a tight embrace. "Come back to me safely!" Solari whispered as she hugged Eponin's neck and kissed her deeply. Solari and Ephiny stood motionless until the echo of their lovers' footsteps could no longer be heard. Then the Queen and her Supply Sergeant burst into a flurry of motion as they rushed to prepare for the morning to come.
Gabrielle halted abruptly and fell into a crouch. The hair on the back of her neck rose up. The night was too silent, all her creatures having suddenly become still. Something didn't feel right. In her haste to reach the comfort of her Warrior's arms she had made a potentially fatal error. She had forgotten to keep her guard up and remain aware of any possible dangers in her path. Bringing her staff up into a defensive posture, she quickly scanned the area around her, senses straining to catch any unusual motion or sound. Her own breath echoed loudly in her ears, making it difficult to concentrate.
Finally, she eased upright and allowed her tense muscles to slowly relax. She laughed at herself then, thinking she must just be nervous over her coming reunion with the Warrior Princess. Gabrielle took one last glance around and then moved onward feeling reassured. She never saw the man who attacked her coming. One minute she was striding briskly forward thinking of Xena and the next she was lying on the cold, hard ground.
Rough hands grabbed her by the back of her top and lifted her up out of the dirt. Then strong arms moved to encircle her body, pinning her own arms tightly against her sides. Masculine laughter rang out near her ear and a slimy tongue licked its way up her cheek leaving a wet trail in its wake. Gabrielle wrinkled her nose in revulsion at the smell of her attacker's fetid breath. "Well, look what I found here! The Warrior's little slut! Must be my lucky day!" Something warm trickled into Gabrielle's right eye partially obscuring her vision. She vaguely registered the fact her feet were dangling freely in the air. Suddenly it hit her. 'A centaur! Oh no!'
'When will I ever?ever?ever! Learn to listen to Xena!' The Bard threw her head backwards viciously and was rewarded with a grunt of pain from her captor. Her eyes lit up with victory as she felt the bones in his nose pop causing him to let her fall free from his grasp. With a scream of rage the Amazon Bard surged upward, a hastily drawn dagger in her hand, turning as she moved to throw a wicked punch at the rouge centaur's bloody face. She halted, her eyes growing panicked as she noted she was faced with not only one, very pissed off centaur, but three other very ugly-looking men as well. None of them seemed to be in a particularly good mood. "Oh, Xena. I'm so sorry?" were Gabrielle's last words before a large fist smashed into her face, dropping her unconscious to the forest floor.
Laris and Eponin urged their mounts onward as quickly as possible over the rough terrain. The rocky ground was pitted with grass covered depressions and the burrows of small animals. Neither warrior wished to risk laming their mount by riding recklessly through the dark. It didn't seem likely Gabrielle could have gotten too far ahead of them on foot. Yet strangely enough they did not encounter the Bard before reaching the outskirts of the centaur village. Tyldus's army had readied itself to begin the march just as the sun's first rays began to kiss the sky. Eponin and Laris looked at one another nervously, both being fairly sure they would not find Gabrielle safe with the Warrior Princess. They squared their shoulders and rode towards the restless soldiers who were awaiting the order to move out.
Xena looked up as she heard the jangling of the approaching riders' bridles. An emotionless mask settled over her face as she recognized the Roman and the Master of Arms moving towards her. Somehow she knew they did not bring good news. Xena glanced briefly at Tyldus who merely shrugged his shoulders and motioned for her to join the newcomers. She leapt into the saddle and moved swiftly to meet the other women.
"Xena." Laris began. "It's Gabrielle, isn't it? What's happened to her?Tell me! Now! I?" The two stone faced amazons. "We had hoped to find her here with you. She left the Amazon village shortly after the centaur emissary arrived. Ephiny found a note in Gabrielle's hut stating she was coming here to you?" Eponin related as painlessly as possible. Xena wheeled Argo about and kicked her into a full out run. Someone had taken her Bard and they would pay for it with their lives. How much they suffered before they died would depend entirely on how poorly they had treated Gabrielle. Laris and Eponin recovered quickly and thundered out of the village in pursuit of the grim-faced Warrior Princess.
Argo slid to an abrupt halt and Xena flung herself from the saddle. As the other women caught up to her they found the dark warrior sitting back on her heels, the bard's mahogany staff balanced across her thighs. One hand lay pressed against the ground barely touching a small puddle of blood. "It appears as though there were a centaur and three other men. Judging by the fact the blood is still wet and the condition of the grass?I'd say they were at most?three to four candlemarks ahead of me. Thank you for coming this far, for letting me know about?Gabrielle. I can handle things from here on my own. I'm sure you both want to return to the Amazons." Xena stated matter-of-factly.
"No!" Laris said flatly. "If it were Ephiny or Solari at risk, you'd be the first to go to their rescue. We will be coming with you. She is our friend. We care for her too." Eponin nodded her head in agreement. "Very well, then?Let's go." The dark warrior replied. Laris shivered reflexively, as she gave thanks to the gods, that she was not the object of the Warrior Princess's wrath.
To be continued...