"Xena, I don't think you understand the severity of what I've been trying to tell you." Gabrielle glared at her friend as she crossed her arms, hoping that the look would get her point across.
"And I don't think you understand how much you've been selling yourself short lately," Xena countered as she casually saddled Argo.
"Is that supposed to be some kind of joke about my height?" the blonde asked. Xena simply shrugged, causing Gabrielle to roll her eyes. "You know, I'm sure the Amazon village doesn't need another smartass. I could just leave you here."
"Ah, but you forget that I'm not the one that's afraid to get up on a horse," Xena reminded her as she pulled away from Argo and finally looked over at her friend. The blonde seemed to think about that before emitting an almost inaudible sigh in defeat. "I'd already have the problem taken care of by the time you arrived," she added on with a smirk, just to make sure she got her point across.
"Fine, Xena. You win. I'll get on the stupid horse," Gabrielle muttered, earning an indignant look from the golden mare. It seemed that Argo did not appreciate being called stupid.
"Gabrielle, what do you think you're doing?" Xena asked as she watched the small blonde try to put her foot in the stirrup by herself. It had been awhile since the bard had even thought of getting on a horse, so she was a little out of practice.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting on the horse," Gabrielle replied, not bothering to look over at her dark haired friend, who was beginning to get on her nerves. She knew that Xena knew that she still hated riding horses, yet the warrior was still making her ride one. While she could understand that it wouldn't be very dignified for her to go walking into the Amazon Nation, it didn't make getting on Argo any less terrifying.
"There's a small problem with that idea," Xena told the bard. Gabrielle turned to look at Xena, a confused expression on her face. "That's not your horse," Xena explained before nodding in the direction of the stables. "Your horse is in there."
"My horse?"
"Yes, your horse. You didn't really think you would be riding double with me into Amazon territory, did you?" Xena mentally sighed when her question was met with silence. "Gabrielle, if you want the Amazons to respect you, you'll need to show them that you can handle something as simple as riding a horse. Especially since the last time the Amazons saw you, you could barely handle a staff."
"Don't you think I know that? I just... never mind... I'll go get the horse. Which one is it?" The bard didn't allow her voice to betray any of her emotions. Long ago, she had known that one day she would have to grow up and stop sharing a saddle with Xena. She just wasn't ready for that day to come so fast.
"It's the stallion in the third stall on the left," Xena told her. Gabrielle sighed softly before leaving Argo's side and walking towards the stables, a feeling of dread filling her. It wasn't so much that she was afraid of riding the horse; she just favored the idea of being so close to Xena on the familiar mare more.
'She could've at least told me she had gotten me a horse,' Gabrielle thought with a scowl as she approached the stables. 'Although, I probably should have suspected her of something when she started disappearing without telling me where she was going,"she silently admitted to herself.
Starting the day after they had decided that Gabrielle would be taking on Velasca, Xena had begun to wander off without warning and wouldn't return until the moon was high in the sky. What made things worse was that Gabrielle seemed to be the only one that had been worried about it. Looking back, she realized that she was probably the only one that hadn't been told about what Xena was doing as well.
'I hate surprises,' she mentally decided as she walked into the stables, only to find Ephiny saddling her own steed. 'I really hate surprises...' she reiterated as she wordlessly walked over to the stall that Xena had told her the horse would be in. She had an inkling of a suspicion that the warrior princess knew that the Amazon would be in the stables as well. Feeling Ephiny's eyes boring into her, the bard silently decided that she would have to pay her friend back for her... kindness... later.
Although they had stayed out of each others way during the few days that they had stayed in Amphipolis, Gabrielle knew that Ephiny was still angry with her. She had tried to tell herself that what had happened wasn't her fault, like Xena had told her, but it was hard to do that when she was constantly reminded of the pain her absence from the Amazon Nation had caused.
"Ephiny, I-"
"I don't want to hear it, Princess," Ephiny interrupted her, somehow managing to make her title sound like it was a word laced with venom. Gabrielle was surprised that the curly-haired blonde could actually put that much hatred into one word.
"I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the idea of you coming with us," Ephiny continued, pulling the bard out of her thoughts.
"You wanted someone to take care of Velasca," she reminded the warrior, although she was perfectly aware that the other woman hadn't forgotten her request for help.
"I wanted Xena to take care of Velasca. Not you. If I had known you were here, I would have waited until Xena was alone before I asked for help," the older woman told her as she mounted the slightly grey stallion she had led out of the stall.
"What does it matter who takes care of her, as long as she's out of power?" Gabrielle asked, slightly annoyed with Ephiny's attitude. She could understand where the other Amazon was coming from, but Gabrielle didn't think that Ephiny's hatred towards her should ever stop her from asking for her help; especially when it concerned the good of the Nation.
"Do you really think you can take care of Velasca? After being a housewife for so long?" Ephiny asked, shooting her a condescending look as she spoke down to her. "I hate to break it to you, Princess, but you won't be facing her in a basket weaving contest," she spat out before riding out of the stables.
"Ephiny, wait! You're... wrong." Gabrielle's voice trailed off as she realized that the Amazon had already gotten too far away to hear her. Either that, or she was being ignored. She wouldn't put the latter past the angry Amazon. 'I guess it's going to take more time than I thought to get our friendship back to where it was,' she thought as a sigh escaped her lips.
"Until then, I guess I should work on getting to know my new... friend," she muttered unhappily before turning to face the horse that Xena had gotten her.
The first thing that Gabrielle noticed about her new horse was his size. He was a little taller than Argo, and the bard suddenly found herself fighting the urge to scream Xena's name. She couldn't believe that her so called friend had gotten her such a large horse! She had to admit that, despite his size, he did appear to be gentle. With such large brown eyes staring back at her, it was hard for the bard to even consider the beast to be threatening. His eyes almost matched his dark bay colored coat, which reminded her of her friend Rosaline.
An image of the late healer flashed in Gabrielle's mind, causing an ache to rise in her chest. She still hadn't forgiven herself for sending the woman to her death, and she doubted that she ever would. No matter how many times Xena told her that it hadn't been her fault, the bard knew that if she hadn't asked Rosaline to take Nexa to Amphipolis, the kind young woman would still be alive.
The feel of something nudging her chest pulled the bard out of her melancholy thoughts. She found the horse nudging her with his muzzle and had to fight a smile. She reached a hesitant hand up and began stroking the soft coat of the horse, who whinnied happily in response to the attention.
'Maybe this won't be so bad after all,' Gabrielle found herself thinking as she opened the door to the stall and stepped inside. He had already been saddled and she made a mental note to thank Xena for that. She didn't want to waste any more time trying to remember how to do that particular job.
"Please don't move... Please don't move..." she quietly pleaded as she awkwardly placed one foot in the stirrup. She remembered a time when she had tried to mount Argo on her own, only to have the mare send her flying to the ground when she took off for Xena. 'I swear, if she even thinks about whistling...' Gabrielle didn't finish the mental threat once she realized that she had somehow pulled herself up into the saddle. She quickly shifted her weight so she was more comfortable, and she was happy that the stallion didn't take that as a sign to start moving.
"Well, now that we've established that I can actually stay on, why don't we try moving? What do you say?" she asked, watching as the horses ears flicked back when she spoke before he answered with an excited whinny. "I'll take that as a yes," she said before gently urging him into a walk, a small, triumphant smile on her face when she managed to keep her balance.
"There you are. We were beginning to think you got lost." Amarice's voice greeted the bard as she rode up to the group. The blonde shot the younger Amazon a look before guiding her horse over to Xena.
"You had better sleep with one eye open, warrior princess," she threatened under her breath so only her friend could hear her. Xena simply looked at Gabrielle like she had no idea what her smaller friend was talking about. The bard was about to say something else when she heard her younger sister calling her name.
"Gabrielle, I don't know how you put up with this child of yours. She acts almost like you did when you were young," Lila told her as she approached the riders, Nexa walking beside her with a grin on her face. Gabrielle smiled back before turning her attention back to her sister.
"How would you know what I was like when I was that age? You were only two," Gabrielle reminded her, resisting the urge to cross her arms. She may have established that she could actually ride her horse, but she didn't want to tempt the fates by taking risks like crossing her arms.
"I've heard the stories, Gabrielle. Mother and father can be very... descriptive... when it involves you as a child," Lila said. "And Nexa seems to be following in your footsteps. Brattiness and all," she continued, although there was a smile on her face when she said it.
"Maybe she just doesn't like you," Amarice suggested with a smirk, earning a glare from the dark-haired girl.
"Don't worry, Auntie Lila. You're my favorite aunt," Nexa assured her, patting the hand she was holding onto.
"Nexa, I'm your only aunt."
"It's a good thing, too, or you might not be her favorite." Before Lila could make a smart retort, Xena was interrupting the two of them.
"If you two are done acting like children, I think it's time we started our journey." Getting the message, the two girls shot each other one last glare before Lila picked Nexa up and handed the bundle of giggles to Gabrielle, who scooted back in the saddle and let her daughter sit in front of her.
"Be safe, Gabby. I don't want to lose my sister again," the dark haired girl said with a small smile, which was returned by the bard.
"Don't worry, Lila. I have Nexa and Xena to protect me. You won't be losing me again anytime soon," she assured the younger girl as she wrapped a protective arm around her daughter's waist. "You just enjoy your time with Leo, alright?" Lila nodded before crossing her arms.
It wasn't long before she was watching the group of seven riding out of the small city. She silently sent up a plea to the gods for all of them to be safe; even the annoying Amarice.
"Mama, you got a big horse," Nexa pointed out as they rode at a comfortable pace ahead of the group. Gabrielle looked down at the child sitting in front of her and smiled before returning her eyes to the road in front of her. "Bigger than Argo," the little girl added on after looking behind them for a moment.
"Yes, I have a big horse. I'll have to thank Xena for him later."
"What's his name?" Nexa asked, turning her head back and looking up at Gabrielle with inquisitive eyes.
"Um... he doesn't have one yet," Gabrielle answered. "How would you like to name him?" She didn't have to look down to know that her daughter's eyes had just lit up like a candle.
"Can I really?" the little girl asked. Her smile almost spread across to her ears when her mother nodded. "Hm..." A thoughtful, concentrated look appeared on the child's face as she tried to think of a good name for her mother's horse.
"Think of anything yet?" Gabrielle asked, only to be shushed by her daughter. "Alright, alright. I get the message. Just tell me when you have a good one," she said before placing a kiss on the back of Nexa's head and enjoying the quietness between them. The mother-daughter moment was ruined, however, when a familiar, angry Amazon came up to ride beside them. Green eyes regarded the woman that had joined them before silently returning their attention to the road once more.
"Don't think I'm riding with you because I want to," Ephiny said, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them. "Xena told me to ride up front with you, and I am not in the mood to eat dirt this early in the morning."
"I wasn't going to ask," Gabrielle said, making sure she kept her response as short as possible. She knew the other woman didn't want to talk to her, and she wasn't going to force her to.
"Good," the Amazon responded, although she was a little surprised that the other girl hadn't tried to reach out and make friends with her again like she had done in the stables. An awkward silence descended upon the two of them as the tension between them filled the air. The only sound was that of the hooves beating on the ground. Even Nexa, who was too caught up in her thoughts to notice the tension, was quiet.
"Look... From what you've told us, Velasca is a cunning enemy that knows how to take advantage of weaknesses. If we ride into Amazon territory and we're still fighting, she is going to use that to her advantage," Gabrielle finally said, unable to stand the silence between them.
"I hate to admit it, but you're right about that," Ephiny admitted. There was a moment of thoughtful quietness before the curly haired Amazon sighed in defeat. "I suppose... I suppose I could pretend to like you," she suggested, causing Gabrielle to smile slightly. She glared at the other blonde, quickly wiping the smile off her face. "I'm only pretending until Velasca is defeated, though. Don't think I've forgiven you for abandoning us," she said.
"I don't expect you to," Gabrielle assured her, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't blame you for hating me, Ephiny. Sometimes... I hate me, too." Ephiny looked over at the Amazon princess and noticed the far away look in the dull green eyes that used to shine with curiosity. Perhaps if she hadn't been so angry with her, she would have felt sorry for the other woman.
"You really are going to fight Velasca?" she asked, changing the subject. She was answered with a nod. "That isn't something the Gabrielle I know would do. The Gabrielle I know would be trying to find a peaceful solution to this problem."
"Things change, Ephiny. No matter how much we don't want them to," the bard told her. "The Gabrielle you knew... the one you were friends with... she grew up. She's not here anymore," she added on sadly before focusing all of her attention on the road, signaling that the conversation was over.
It wasn't until they made camp that night that Gabrielle had the chance to speak with Xena. While she had ridden up front, the warrior princess had spent her time between Amarice and Solan, who were up to their name calling once more. Xena preferred to think of it as flirting, however.
"How was the ride?" Gabrielle asked as she took a seat beside her friend in front of the fire. Despite the fact that she had been angry at the warrior for getting her such a large horse, and then keeping it secret from her, the bard was glad to be close to Xena once more.
"It was... loud," Xena replied after thinking it over for a moment. "Maybe you should ride between them tomorrow," she suggested.
"Keep dreaming, Warrior Princess," Gabrielle told her before leaning against Xena's shoulder and wrapping an arm around the other woman's. "I missed you today. Ephiny isn't exactly great company when she's shooting daggers at you the entire ride."
"Sorry about that," Xena apologized. "Solan and Amarice were beginning to grate on her nerves and I didn't want her slowing us down by taking the time to beat them up."
"It's fine," Gabrielle assured her. "We managed to work something out between us in the end."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah. Now I can at least pretend we're still friends," the bard said with a sigh as she stared into the fire.
"Just wait, Gabrielle. These things take time," Xena assured her friend as she removed her arm from the bard's grip. Before the blonde could object, she was wrapping it around her waist and pulling the other woman closer. They sat there in a comfortable silence, watching the flames dance on the logs and fight away the shadows of the night.
"I don't think I can do this, Xena," Gabrielle said with a sigh, finally breaking the silence. Judging by the look on her face, Xena had a feeling that she was talking about more than just Velasca. "I'm not ready to lead the Amazons. I just got you... I mean, I just got my life back," she explained, hoping that Xena didn't hear the slip. If the warrior princess heard it, she made no indication that she had. "What if I mess up?"
"Gabrielle, you're going to make a great leader. You're smart, strong, and compassionate. The Nation will never have a better queen," Xena assured her, making Gabrielle smile. It wasn't often that the warrior princess handed out compliments, even if she was trying to make someone feel better.
"Thank you," Gabrielle whispered before placing a grateful kiss on the warrior's shoulder. "You have no idea how much that means to me."
"Just speaking the truth," Xena said as she looked down at her friend. Blue met green and both women found themselves silently staring at each other, basking in the familiar friendship they had found again. At that moment, it didn't matter that they were heading to a nation that was filled with warriors that probably hated the bard or that Gabrielle was about to take on a leader that was bent on making the Amazons a nation of war. All that mattered was that they were going to face the challenges together.
"Mama! Mama!" The sound of Nexa's voice pulled the two warriors out of their secluded world. They both turned to find the little girl staring at them with curious blue eyes. "Whatcha doin'?" she asked, seeming to forget what was so important that she needed to yell for her Mama.
"Um... We were just uh... talking," Gabrielle stammered, struggling to come up with an explanation. Xena simply shrugged, not caring that Nexa had caught them staring at each other. It wasn't like they had done anything to feel guilty about...
"Oh, okay," Nexa said, satisfied with her mother's answer. "Oh! Mama, I made a name for your horse!" she said, excitement filling her childish voice.
"Oh really?" The small, blonde child nodded her head enthusiastically. "Well don't keep us in suspense. What did you decide?"
"Brownie!" Nexa exclaimed triumphantly. Xena tried to stop herself from laughing, but only succeeded in reducing it to a snort, which resulted in Gabrielle elbowing her in the side.
"That's what you want to name him?" the bard asked, silently hoping that her daughter would change her mind.
"Yep!" the girl said without hesitation. Gabrielle sighed before nodding her head.
"Then that's what we'll call him," she assured her daughter. Nexa beamed up at her before wrapping her in a hug and placing a wet kiss on her cheek.
"Can I go pet him?" the girl asked. Her smile grew wider when she saw her mother nod yes. "Yay! Thank you," she said before running off to pet her new friend.
"Be careful!" Gabrielle called, hoping that the little girl heard her. Once Nexa was out of sight, she let out a sigh. "How intimidating. I'm going to be riding into the nation on a horse named Brownie."
"And that's what happens when you let a four year old name your horse," Xena teased her.
"Watch it, Warrior Princess. I may just let her change Argo's name to Sunshine," Gabrielle countered, quickly shutting Xena up for the night.