"Gabrielle..." Xena smirked down at her friend, who was still sleeping in the comfortable bed of the inn. "Gabrielle, it's time to go," she said as she gently shook her friend's shoulder. Her attempts to wake her were futile, however, and all she could do was take a seat on the bed next to the blonde's body.
"G'way," was the mumbled response from the sleepy blonde, who buried her head into the pillow. Xena rolled her eyes at the childish act. It amazed the warrior that, despite the fact that Gabrielle could easily awaken at the sound of her daughter coming into the room, the actual task of getting out of the bed gave the bard difficulty.
“You know, if you don’t wake up, we’re leaving without you,” she threatened, still only getting a low, mumbling sound for a response from her sleepy friend. Left with no other choice, Xena went to her last resort and leaned in close. “You’ll miss breakfast,” she whispered in the bard’s ear. She wasn’t surprised to see one tired, green eye open before hearing a long sigh.
“Fine. If you think it’s necessary for us to leave before the sun has touched the sky, then that’s what we’ll do,” the blonde muttered in complaint as she pushed herself up, shivering when the blanket slid off as she stretched herself out. She almost reminded Xena of a cat. A very lazy cat that liked to eat.
“Gabrielle, the sun has been out for hours and everyone else is up,” the warrior informed her before leaving so the bard could change in privacy, ignoring the frustrated groan that came from the room as she shut the door and walked down the stairs. Upon reaching the foot of the staircase, she found Amarice waiting for her.
"Yes?" she asked, doubting that the young Amazon was there to ask about Gabrielle. While she was civil to the bard, Xena could sense the tension between the two of them. The warrior wasn't sure what was wrong with Gabrielle, but she knew that Amarice was still cautious about allowing the bard into her life. Then again, she had been so busy with Armon that Amarice didn't really have time to get to know Gabrielle.
"Just wondering if it was time to go yet," the auburn-haired girl told her with a shrug, although Xena could tell by the way she averted her eyes to the floor for a moment that there was something else on her mind.
"Gabrielle's getting ready," the warrior told her. "Anything else you needed?" She watched as Amarice shifted her weight, obviously uneasy; she could understand the feeling. The Amazon was a lot like her in the sense that she didn't like to share things or ask for help.
"Well, I just... I came inside because Nexa was doing that thing that she tends to do," the girl reluctantly replied, successfully confusing the Warrior Princess.
"And what thing would that be?"
"Where she acts cuter than we should allow. I was starting to feel the urge to, you know... have kids." Amarice added the last part on in an embarrassed whisper so no one else in the tavern could hear her; not that anyone else was paying attention to, nor eavesdropping on their conversation .
"I really don't think having kids is something you need to be worrying about right now, Amarice," Xena told her, earning a glare from the auburn-haired warrior.
"Say that a little louder, Xena. I don't think your mother heard you back in Amphipolis," she responded in a low growl. Once the warrior feigned an apologetic look, she continued. "I also think she's up to something. No one can be that cute without planning something."
"I don't know why you're so worried. Gabrielle got her to stop kicking you months ago," Xena said with an amused smile.
"Yes, and I'm very grateful for that, but that doesn't change the fact that the little... darling... is up to something," the Amazon said through clenched teeth. She hated it when Xena didn't take her seriously. "You know..." Amarice added to keep the warrior's attention, "before I came in here, she was going through one of your old saddlebags," she said, knowing that Xena hated it when people intruded on her privacy.
"She what!" The humor had disappeared from the warrior's face, as Amarice detected a hint of paleness, or as pale as Xena would ever get without being ill. Before Amarice could repeat herself, Xena was headed for the door. There were things in her saddlebags that no four year old little girl should get their hands on.
When she stepped outside, the sight that greeted her was Nexa standing next to Argo, holding Gabrielle's old staff out in front of her and attempting to spin it. Xena had kept it with her during all the years that she had been separated from the bard because of the sentimental value that it held. She had never given it back, though, because she was slightly embarrassed that she had kept it in the first place.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked as she snuck up behind the little girl, causing the small, blonde to jump and drop the weapon. She tried to keep her voice neutral so that it didn't betray her emotions. Judging by the somewhat frightened look on the girl's face, she hadn't been very successful.
"Playing with the big stick?" Nexa said in explanation, although it came out more as a question. Looking down at the curious, blue eyes that looked so similar to hers, Xena nearly forgot why she had been angry at the little girl. She was beginning to see what Amarice meant by 'being cuter than should be allowed'.
"Nexa... It's called a staff... And this staff just happens to be twice your size," she said as she picked said weapon up off the ground and began disassembling it. "Who put this together for you?" she asked, wondering why anyone would encourage the girl to hold a weapon.
"Me," the small blonde said with a shrug. Xena blinked, not expecting that answer. "Did I do something bad?" the girl asked quietly, averting her gaze to the ground just in case Xena was angry. The warrior sighed and shook her head as she put the disassembled staff back in the saddlebag.
"Nexa... I'm not angry. I'm just... well, next time ask, okay?" she said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I don't want your mother to walk out here and see you playing with that."
"Playing with what?" Came the voice of the woman they were just discussing. Xena quickly stood up and turned around, angling her body so that she hid the saddlebag that held the blonde's staff.
"Nothing!" she said too quickly. Realizing how defensive she sounded, she relaxed her posture and tried to calm down. "Nothing at all," she assured the blonde, giving her a smile. Gabrielle raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing her. Luckily, she didn't press the issue and changed the subject.
"I saw Amarice inside. Where are the others?" she asked. "I mean, you did tell me that I was the only one still asleep," she reminded the warrior.
"I don't know," Xena replied with a shrug. "Maybe they left already?"
"They did." The sound of Amarice's voice drew everyone's attention back to the Amazon who was walking over to them. "That was the other reason I went inside, Xena. You kind of took off before I could tell you, though," she said with a smirk before the warrior gave her a look that clearly said 'drop it'.
"Well then I hope they're not too far ahead. I'd hate to see Gabrielle make her horse go faster than a trot," Xena teased the bard, who gave her a playful glare.
"Hey, I'm on the animal, aren't I? Just be proud of that," she said before crouching down and turning her attention to Nexa. "Do you want to help Mama saddle Brownie?" she asked, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the name. Nexa's eyes lit up as she nodded her head and took hold of her mother's hand. Gabrielle smiled at the contact before leading the girl to the stables.
Once the group of four had caught up to Solan, Ephiny, and Armon, the ride turned into a quiet, relaxing one. Everyone seemed to be caught up in their own thoughts, so the only sound was that of the hooves beating on the dirt road and the birds that circled the sky; so when Nexa broke the silence, she nearly made her startled mother fall out of the saddle in surprise.
"Mama, can Solan be a Am'zon?" she asked curiously, looking back and staring up at her mother with questioning blue eyes.
“What!” Ephiny, Solan, and Amarice responded simultaneously while Xena watched the scene in amusement from atop her golden mare that was trotting beside the bay colored stallion. She was curious as to how Gabrielle would handle this situation.
“Uh...” the bard glanced over at Xena, who merely shrugged in response. Gabrielle glared at her for not speaking up before looking back down at her daughter. “Sweetie, Solan can’t be an Amazon.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s not allowed.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s a boy,” Gabrielle answered, only to receive a confused look from her daughter. “Boys aren’t allowed to be Amazons,” she added on.
“Why?”
“Because it’s one of their rules.”
“Why?” The bard quickly looked back to the group she was traveling with, only to see that they were looking at her with amused smiles on their faces; aside from Solan, who looked more humiliated than amused . She made a mental note to pay them all back later for abandoning her in her time of need before returning her attention back to her daughter. The girl was playing with Brownie’s mane to occupy her time while she waited patiently for the answer to her question.
“Because the Amazons want to be independent and show the world that they can survive without the influence of men,” Amarice spoke up, no doubt trying to be helpful. Gabrielle didn’t have to be an oracle to know what Nexa’s next word would be.
“Huh?” Gabrielle sighed and shook her head. She mentally cursed herself for having such an inquisitive daughter before answering in the only other way she could think of.
“Because the Amazons say so, Sweetie." The answer seemed to appease the youngster for the time being, so the group continued their ride in the comfortable and much needed silence. It wasn’t long, however, before Nexa broke it again.
“I know! He can be Am’zon Prince,” the girl suggested, making Solan blush while everyone else in the group unsuccessfully tried to stifle their laughter.
“Nexa, sweetie... I don’t think Solan wants to be an Amazon Prince,” Gabrielle told her daughter once she was sure she could speak without laughing.
“Oh,” was the response she got from the blonde child. She could hear Solan’s sigh of relief when it appeared that Nexa was going to drop the subject.
"Now wait a minute, Gabrielle," Xena chimed in, seeing an opportunity to tease her son. "I think I like the idea of my son being royalty," she said, smirking over at the boy, who seemed to sink a little more in his saddle when he heard Amarice snicker at the comment.
"I'm sure you do, warrior, but the decision is ultimately up to Solan," Gabrielle reminded her friend in a playful voice before looking over at the boy. "What'll it be? Do you feel like being an Amazon Prince?"
"What! I don't... Gabrielle I can't..." the boy stammered while shaking his head. He tried to sink into his saddle, wishing it would hide him from the others. He had to wonder why his mother and the bard found amusement seeing him flustered. "Being Amazon royalty is... well, it sounds nice and all but... what, exactly, would you expect me to wear? I'm sorry, but I will not wear a skirt!" he finally managed to get out, somehow sinking lower into the saddle when he heard the chuckles coming from the rest of the group.
"Alright, Solan. As hard as it may be, I guess I can live without you being my Amazon Prince then," Gabrielle said, giving the thoroughly embarrassed boy an apologetic smile.
Xena sighed before saying, “I guess I'm stuck with just regular Solan then. Just remember one thing: You’ll always be my Amazon Prince.”
“Mother…” Solan groaned; his face flushing to an even darker crimson as he wished that he had a hood, wanting to desperately hide now, more than ever.
“Okay, okay. Let’s stop teasing the poor boy. Solan, don’t worry. You don’t have to be an Amazon Prince.” Gabrielle replied, an apologetic smile aimed his way. After taking a minute to get over his embarrassment, he accepted his friend’s apology and straightened back up in his saddle.
Nexa, of course, had lost interest in the conversation once her mother had told her that Solan probably wouldn't want to be an Amazon Prince. So, she had occupied herself by continuing to reach over and play with the long, dark strands of Brownie's mane.
Gabrielle, however, was left with a new question to contemplate as they silently made their way closer to the Amazon village. What would happen between her and Xena if she became queen of the Amazons? There was no way she was going to ask the woman to abandon her son just so she could be with her. She could never ask that of her best friend.
"Something on your mind?" Ephiny's voice startled the bard, almost making her fall off of the horse again. Luckily, she had regained her balance in time to stop herself from making a fool out of herself and her daughter.
"What gave it away?" she asked with a small, nervous laugh. While it was true that the two of them had patched things up after they had left the small town they had taken shelter in, the bard was still unsure of where she stood with the Amazon. She guessed that their friendship was on shaky ground and that one wrong move could send it crumbling into the chasm below, so she was always careful about how she spoke with Ephiny.
"Well, the fact that you're not talking is a dead giveaway," the other woman teased her. "That, and the look in your eyes seems to say that you're a thousand leagues away from this little, dirt road."
"And Xena says you're not perceptive," Gabrielle told her, getting Ephiny to laugh. "It's nothing, really. I just... I've been wondering about what's going to happen if I become queen."
"Gabrielle, there's no 'if' about it. You will be queen," Ephiny assured her, surprising the bard with how confident she sounded.
"You really think so?"
"Well, having the Right of Caste from Terreis automatically gives you the Queen's Mask when you go back to the tribe. It's just a matter of how long you keep that mask that matters," Ephiny explained. "Velasca's not going to just let you take it from her, Gabrielle. Even if you don't have to fight her to actually obtain the mask, you'll still end up fighting her to keep it."
"Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that she's not going to be an easy opponent?" the bard asked with a sigh, shaking her head.
"Because she won't be. Velasca has a lot of supporters that like to intimidate the competition," Ephiny said. "But then again, so do you," she added on with a hesitant smile, which was returned by the bard just as reluctantly. "I'll leave you to your thoughts, Princess, but don't dwell on them for too long. We'll be entering Amazon territory by the end of the day and it wouldn't look good for the future Amazon queen to be caught daydreaming."
"Haha. You're so funny, Ephiny," Gabrielle remarked as her old friend moved on ahead. She had to admit, though; it was a nice change to have the older Amazon see her for the human being that she was instead of some kind of demon or plague. Now she just needed to figure out a way to stop the rest of the Amazon nation from seeing her that way. She sighed before unconsciously pulling her daughter closer to her, wishing she could think of a plan to gain the respect of the Amazons that she had abandoned.
Just as Ephiny had predicted, the travelers reached the familiar forest that was home to the Thracian Amazons just as the sun was making its decent beneath the horizon. Arriving in the familiar surroundings that she hadn't seen in years momentarily distracted Gabrielle from her troubled thoughts. The bard that still resided somewhere deep inside of her demanded that she take notice of the scenery's beauty.
The trees seemed to be even bigger than the first time she had been in the forest. She found herself staring up with her mouth slightly opened in awe as she tried to see the tops of the trees. Her daughter was doing the same thing, her inquisitive, blue eyes taking in the new sights with excitement.
"Careful, Gabrielle. If you keep you mouth hanging open like that, you'll start catching bugs," Xena quietly teased her young friend, who couldn't stop herself from blushing at the jest.
"It's pretty, Xena," commented the little girl sitting in front of her friend. The warrior nodded in agreement but didn't say anything else, although she was smiling to herself on the inside. Nexa truly was her bard's daughter. The area was indeed beautiful, just as the little girl had said. The leaves on the large trees, while still firmly attached to the strong branches, were changing colors with the season. The setting sun only enhanced the natural beauty of the now red and yellow leaves. The mix of the two colors made it look as if the forest was covered in flames.
Xena had to admit to herself that there was a time not so long ago that she wouldn't have seen the beauty in the nature surrounding her. Before Hercules, she probably would have set the forest ablaze with real flames if she ever saw the need to conquer the Thracian Amazons. Even after Hercules though, the warrior would have never taken the time to look at the surrounding area as something more than a tactical position for a battle. It wasn't until a talkative, little bard came into her life that she began to took at the world in a new light.
Her thoughts of the bard pulled Xena's attention to her friend, who was leaning forward in the saddle and whispering something in her daughter's ear. Her acute hearing was easily able to pick up her storytelling voice and she guessed that Gabrielle was telling Nexa of their first encounter with the Amazons. The warrior had to smile at the scene.
It amazed her that her bard had been through so much, but was still able to hold on to her passion for storytelling. True, Xena hadn't seen her write anything new since they had been reunited, but it was encouraging that the bard was still willing to tell the older stories to an audience. The warrior figured that it was a sign that her friend was willing to move on with her life. She just needed a little help on the way.
"I think it's time we dismounted," Ephiny suggested, pulling the warrior out of her thoughts and bringing her back to the real world. She looked around and realized that Ephiny was right. The vegetation was becoming too thick for the horses to safely traverse through without someone leading them.
She pulled Argo to a stop before gracefully dismounting the mare and walking over to Brownie. Gabrielle carefully lowered her giggling daughter into the warrior's strong arms before dismounting the large stallion with much less grace than her taller friend. Xena had to fight back her laughter as the blonde stumbled backwards once she touched the ground.
"Ow. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to walk normally ever again," the blonde remarked with a grimace, eliciting a laugh from her daughter and a low chuckle from the warrior carrying the girl. "Oh, you two think that's funny, do you?" she asked. Nexa nodded her head up and down while Xena merely shrugged. "Well then, you two can keep each other company while I try to find a way to walk," she told them with a glare. "Come on, Brownie. At least you don't make fun of me," she commented to the horse before leading him forward, limping slightly because of the pain in her legs.
Xena stared at the blonde girl in her arms, who was smiling up at her in anticipation. The warrior rolled her eyes before lifting the girl up and placing her on her shoulders, the little blonde squealing with delight as she sat up so high from the ground.
"Since when did you become Warrior Packhorse?" Amarice commented in amusement as she walked by the warrior, her horse and Armon following behind her. Xena answered her with a glare, but the young woman had learned over the years that she shouldn't be intimidated by it. That, and it was hard to take Xena seriously when she had a four year old girl sitting on her shoulders, smiling down at the very person the warrior was trying to intimidate.
"Watch it, Amarice, or one of your more embarrassing episodes while traveling with me may happen to slip out in public," Xena threatened her when the glare didn't work, successfully shutting the Amazon up. "That's what I thought," she said with a smirk before grabbing hold of Argo's lead rein and cautiously leading the horse through the thick vegetation.
They had just passed the circular Amazon warning sign hanging from one of the trees when the guards posted at the border of the Amazon territory came zipping down from their posts in the high branches of the trees, quickly surrounding them with their weapons drawn. Xena, Gabrielle, and Ephiny raised their arms above their hands and clasped their hands together, the other members of the group quickly following their lead. It wasn't until one of the masked women spoke that everyone relaxed.
"Ephiny... you came back!" exclaimed a young voice before one of the women raised up her mask, revealing a smiling, young woman with long, brown hair that had been tied back into a braid. She didn't appear to be much older than Amarice. Before the curly-haired Amazon could respond, the girl was coming forward and wrapping her in a hug. "I'm so glad you're alright..." she murmured, causing the other woman to blush. Xena had to chuckle at her friend's discomfort, receiving a glare from Ephiny in response.
"Um... I'm glad you're alright, too," the flustered woman said as she pushed the girl away. The younger Amazon was beaming at her, pleased at the response. Before Ephiny could say anymore, however, another Amazon was speaking up.
"Iliana! Do you plan to hug every intruder that comes into Amazon territory?” The girl blushed at the scolding voice before turning to the Amazon that had spoken.
“Sorry," she apologized, looking properly chastised. The masked Amazon simply shook her head before lifting her own decorative mask, revealing a tanned Amazon with shoulder length dark hair.
“I guess I could let it slide this time, seeing as this intruder happens to be a very missed one,” she said with a smile.
“Solari! Good to see you’ve managed to stay alive while I’ve been gone,” Ephiny told her friend as she reached out and grasped the other woman’s forearm.
“I can say the same thing for you, my friend,” Solari said. “Although, after that stunt you pulled with the centaurs, I’m not sure how much longer you’ll be alive. Especially if you’re bringing strangers into the Amazon village,” she added on, only half joking.
“These aren’t just any strangers,” Ephiny replied with a lopsided grin. “Solari, I’d like to present to you Xena: Warrior Princess and Gabrielle, the true queen of the Amazons, along with their family,” she introduced the group. Iliana’s jaw dropped almost instantly in shock, while Solari was able to mask her surprise much better.
“My Queen,” the dark-haired woman said before quickly dropping to one knee and bowing her head. The rest of the Amazons in the patrol group followed her example, trying to show proper respect to their long absent princess, who was now their queen. They had no idea where she had been the last few years, but if she could be a better ruler than Velasca, then they would welcome her with open arms.
Gabrielle was surprised at the reaction to Ephiny’s news. She had expected her reception to be less than welcoming. She had expected everyone to treat her the way Ephiny had. Seeing this response to her introduction, she was beginning to wish that they had treated her the way Ephiny had. She didn’t feel as if she deserved such respect.
“Um... that isn’t really necessary,” she told them, trying hard to fight off her blush. Solari looked up from the ground and caught the uncomfortable look on her queen’s face. it would appear that the young woman was new to the queen treatment.
“My apologies, your highness. We didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Solari apologized for the group as she stood back up, the rest of the group following suit. “I take it Ephiny didn’t show you the proper respect a queen deserves,” she said, glancing over at the Amazon in question.
“Oh no. Ephiny was a fine escort,” Gabrielle assured the intimidating Amazon, covering for her friend. “Solari, I don’t remember seeing you in the village the last time I was here,” she said, quickly changing the subject.
“Yeah, well... I was kind of um... busy...” the woman said, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment.
“Oh... Oh!” Gabrielle said in realization before smiling at the woman. “Well, I’d like to know more about you since I didn’t get the chance to see you the last time I was here, if that's alright,” she suggested.
“I’d be honored to tell you about myself, my Queen,” Solari replied proudly as she sheathed her sword. “I think we’ll have to walk and talk, though. The Nation needs its real queen as soon as possible,” she told the blonde before turning back to the rest of the group. “Back to your posts, ladies. If I come back and find you all lazing about, you’ll all be stuck in the stables, cleaning out manure,” she threatened them. The still masked Amazons obediently saluted before dispersing and climbing up separate trees.
“Yes, you can come with us, Iliana,” Solari said, not needing to look over her shoulder to know that the girl was looking at her with pleading grey eyes. The girl’s face lit up before she quickly made her way to an uneasy Ephiny’s side and wrapped her arm around the other woman’s and began dragging her after Solari and Gabrielle. Xena was too busy glaring at Solari’s back the entire walk to the village to find Ephiny’s situation funny.
While she guessed that Solari already had a bondmate, hence the reason she wasn’t there during their first encounter with the Amazons, she didn’t like how much attention she was showing the bard. She had to fight the urge to run over and push the Amazon out of the way so she could stand with her friend. The small girl on her shoulders wasn’t aware of the inner battle that the warrior was waging, however, so she was unaware that she had interrupted anything when she spoke.
“Xena... those Amazons?” she whispered in the woman’s ear, although it wasn’t as quiet as a whisper should be. Xena simply nodded her head. There was silence from the girl for a moment. “They’re scary,” Nexa finally said. Xena smirked at the remark, but decided she should explain things to the child.
“Nexa, they’re warriors. They’re supposed to be scary,” she said as she carefully stepped over a rotting log that had somehow wound up in the middle of the small trail.
“But you’re a warrior, and you’re not scary,” the girl remarked, sending Xena’s thoughts to a screeching halt. She wasn’t sure if she should take Nexa’s comment as an insult or a compliment.
‘Well warrior, it would seem that you’re slipping. You can’t even scare small children anymore,’ she thought to herself, unaware of the wry grin that had spread on her face.
“What has got you so happy, Xena? Do you enjoy watching that Amazon flirt with your woman or something?” Amarice teased her as she led her grey horse behind her.
“First of all, Gabrielle is not my woman,” Xena said in a low growl that was meant to be intimidating.
“Yeah, and I’m the queen of the gods,” Amarice scoffed. Xena glared at her, but the girl didn’t seem to notice.
“What did I tell you earlier about embarrassing episodes becoming public?” she asked. Amarice didn’t even blink at the threat.
“I’m just pointing out the truth, Xena.” The older warrior was about to object when Amarice cut her off. “Don’t even try denying it, you big dummy. When she was gone, you never tried to find someone to take her place.”
“I got you, didn’t I?” the warrior reminded her with a raised eyebrow.
“Need I remind you that we hardly ever talked to each other and that your mind was always on a certain bard?” the teenager countered before looking at the suspiciously quiet child on Xena’s shoulders. She had to fight back a grin when she saw the girl trying to braid the warrior’s hair.
“Yeah, well... you weren’t good for conversation,” Xena huffed before picking up her pace, successfully ending the conversation.
By the time they were approaching the village, Gabrielle had learned most of Solari’s life story. The Amazon had really stepped outside of the bard’s view of warriors always being stoic and unwilling to talk. She really seemed to like to talk about her bondmate, Talia. The bard could tell that she loved the woman she spoke of.
When they entered the village, the sight that greeted the bard took her by surprise. She figured that she probably shouldn’t have been surprised, because of all the things that Ephiny had told her, but it was strange to see so many women preparing for war. There were more groups than she could count split up for different styles of weapons training. There were also other groups off to the side creating and repairing weapons and armor. The sound of war drums pounded in the bard’s ears and seemed to send vibrations into her chest. The scene was overwhelming and nearly made Gabrielle take a step back.
“Wow...” she heard Amarice mutter as she came up behind her. She didn’t miss the strange look that Ephiny and Solari gave the other girl. Before she could ask what it was for, however, a group of Amazons was coming towards them.
“Ephiny... I didn’t think you’d be willing to show your traitorous face in this nation ever again,” the dark-haired leader of the group said, crossing her arms as she leveled a glare at the blonde Amazon. Judging by the regalia that decorated the woman’s clothing, Gabrielle guessed that she was not just some ordinary Amazon. She was the reason that she had come to the village. She was Velasca.
"Velasca, you don't-"
"Quiet, Solari. You and Iliana decided to forfeit your lives and your rights as Amazons to me the moment you showed this traitor and these strangers to the village," the fierce Amazon said, adding on a piercing glare to cut off any more objections.
"That's where you're wrong," Ephiny spoke up, smirking as she said her next words. "Velasca, you are no longer the ruler of this Amazon tribe. I've found the true Queen."
"Oh really?" Velasca asked with a laugh. "You may have to point her out to me then, Ephiny, because all I see traveling with you is a washed up, old warrior, a couple of useless men, an Amazon wanna-be, and a housewife."
The curly-haired blonde refused to take the bait. She knew perfectly well that Velasca was just trying to get a rise out of her by insulting her ability to track down their missing queen. So, instead of giving the soon to be deposed queen the satisfaction of making her angry, Ephiny simply motioned for Gabrielle to step forward. The blonde woman strode forward with a confidence that she didn't feel and, after receiving a reassuring smile from Ephiny, she spoke in the noble, storytelling voice that she hadn't used since before she lived with Perdicas.
"I am Gabrielle of Potidaea, the rightful Queen of the Amazons after receiving the Rite of Caste from Princess Terreis, and I am here to reclaim my people."