The dark haired young woman nervously shifted her feet as she stood on the porch that led into the inn. She was trying to decide whether to go in and request to see Xena, or if she should just go back home. The latter seemed to be the most logical choice, seeing as she wasn't even supposed to be there, but the first choice was the one that would get her what she wanted. Unfortunately, she didn't have the nerve to walk into the tavern, so she decided to go with the former choice and go home. When she turned around, however, she ran right into the woman she had been looking for.
"Lila?" Xena asked, causing the young woman to look up at her. Gabrielle's sister shifted nervously as she tried to speak. All the words she had planned on saying to Xena when she arrived had left her as she stared up at the warrior, who was holding a small, blonde child. It was the child that reminded her why she was there.
"Xena, I need to talk to you. Do you think that maybe we could have a little privacy?" she asked, her mind finally working again. The warrior raised an eyebrow but nodded before setting the child on the porch and whispering something in her ear. The girl squealed with delight before taking off into the inn. Lila looked back at Xena after she watched the blonde run out of sight. "She's not yours, is she?" she asked.
"Mine? Of course not." the older woman told her, shaking her head. "Do I really look like the maternal type to you?" she asked. Lila wisely decided not to answer that, and instead requested that they go somewhere with less people.
"It's kind of personal." she explained when Xena stared down at her with unnerving blue eyes. The warrior shrugged and began walking away from the tavern, expecting the younger woman to follow. Lila didn't blame her for acting this way toward her; they didn't exactly like each other. Then again, the last time she had seen Xena almost five years ago, she treated everyone with the same indifference that she was being treated with now.
"What are you doing here, Lila?" Xena asked as they walked through the crowded streets of Amphipolis. "I doubt your parents are happy about you leaving home to come see me, of all people." she said, causing Lila to blush.
"While that's true, I'm a grown woman now, so I can do what I want. I even married well." the young woman told her, turning sideways so that she avoided colliding with a group of children playing in the street. "He's a wonderful, understanding man. He's the one who brought me here, even though he knew my parents were against it."
"I bet he's in their good graces now." Xena remarked sarcastically. Lila glared up at the taller woman.
"Look Xena. I didn't come here to listen to your sarcastic comments." she told her.
"Then why did you come here? Because I don't think you came here for a social visit with me." Xena hissed at her as she suddenly turned around, causing Lila to run right into her.
"I'm here for my sister!" Lila replied after she regained her footing. The sudden out burst from the young woman made Xena's thoughts come to a halt. She had figured that the only reason Lila would ever come to her was if Potidaea were in trouble, and that was only if no one else would help them. She never expected the girl to come for her because of Gabrielle. "Is that a good enough reason for you, Warrior Princess?" she asked, pulling Xena out of her trance.
"Come on. I know where we can talk." she said before she began walking again. The tree that Lyceus and her used to play on would be the perfect spot to talk with a decent amount of privacy.
"Alright, what about Gabrielle? Is she in trouble?" Xena asked once they came to the shaded area beneath the large tree.
"I have no idea. That's why I came to you." the younger woman said with a shrug as she took a seat and leaned up against the trunk of the tree. "Mother told father and I that you had come and informed her that Gabrielle married Perdicas. We were all very happy for her and couldn't wait for her to come back. We were a little curious about why she hadn't returned in the year that she had been married to him, but we figured that she was just busy, being a newlywed and all."
"But...?" Xena asked, prompting Lila to go on. She hated it when people drug out the news. It was frustrating.
"Xena, we still haven't heard from her. The last time I saw my sister was four years ago, when she came home from traveling with you and helped Meleager.” she continued. “Mother and Father think that you lied to them, but I know that my sister would never travel with someone that made a habit of lying.” Lila said. Xena could almost feel herself overflowing with guilt. She had lied to Gabrielle the day that she said she would come visit her. Now something might be wrong with her, and it would be all her fault.
“So you came here to find me?” she asked, hiding the inner turmoil that she was going through.
“Xena, I know you didn’t lie. I came here to ask for your help. I need to know that my sister is alright, and you’re the only person I trust to care about her enough to find out if she is okay.” Lila explained. Xena mentally berated herself as she heard the words coming from Lila. It seemed that she had betrayed not only Gabrielle’s trust, but her sister’s as well. There was only one thing she could think of to make things right.
“I’ll find her Lila.” she assured the young girl, placing a hand on her shoulder. “And when I do, Potidaea will be the first place we stop.”
"Are you serious?" Lila asked. She had been expecting a bit more resistance from the Warrior Princess, considering how little they liked each other, so she had made a whole list of reasons why Xena should feel inclined to help her. It looked like she wouldn't be needing that list after all. 'And I worked so hard to think of it, too.' she thought.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Xena responded before reaching a hand out to help the young woman up. Lila tentatively took hold of it and pulled herself back to her feet.
"Xena, I don't know how to thank you for helping. I'm really worried about Gabrielle, and I wouldn't know who to turn to if you refused to help." she admitted.
"You're Gabrielle's little sister. We may not like each other, but that doesn't mean I won't help you when you need it." Xena assured her. 'Not to mention I need to make things right between Gabrielle and me.' she added on mentally. "Go tell your husband that you two are free to stay here as long as you like. You can stay at my mother's tavern." she ordered the young woman before heading back to the city.
Lila practically beamed at her good fortune. With Xena on the job, she would hopefully see her sister soon. She also wouldn't have to spend the night outdoors again, since Xena was letting her and her husband stay at the tavern. 'Leo may be a good man, but he was definitely not raised to be an outdoorsman.' she thought with a shake of her head as she followed after Xena.
Later that night, Cyrene's inn was filled with tension. Amarice kept shooting glares at Lila and her husband while Cyrene shot glares at her daughter from behind the counter she was wiping down. True, she didn't mind that Xena had promised the couple that they could stay with them for the night, but she would have liked it if her daughter had had the mind to ask her permission first.
'Being a warlord must have convinced her that she will get whatever she wants, when she wants.' the innkeeper mused as she stopped glaring at her daughter and instead chose to watch Amarice throw dirty looks at Lila and Leo. She found it amazing that even from halfway across the room, the young Amazon could make the young couple uncomfortable while they ate.
"What is your problem?" Lila asked, finally tired of the looks she was receiving from the auburn haired teenager.
"What's my problem? You're my problem. I mean, look at you!" Amarice told her. "You can't be much older than me, and yet you're already married. What kind of self-respecting woman would throw her life away when she has so much more to give?"
"Excuse me, but I don't consider wanting to have a family throwing my life away." Lila told her, standing up from her seat at the table. "And furthermore, I know plenty of self-respecting women who get married."
"Lila, ignore her. She's just trying to get you angry." the young man said, placing a calming hand on his wife's smaller one that was resting on the table. Lila wasn't listening, though.
"In fact, most of the women I know have families. I'm sure your mother didn't traipse around the countryside, trying to be a warrior." she spat at the other girl.
"I do not 'traipse'!" Amarice argued, standing up from her own table and walking over to Lila's.
"Ladies, calm down." Leo pleaded gently. By now the entire tavern was taking in the scene between the two women with great interest. Many of them were expecting the verbal fight to turn into a physical one. A few were even calling out for one; one of those few being Tara.
"You calm down!" they yelled at the blonde man simultaneously, making him throw up his hands in defeat. There were definitely some disadvantages to marrying a daughter of Herodotus and Hecuba. They were both extremely stubborn.
"Don't talk to my husband like that!" Lila ordered Amarice before shoving the other girl backwards. She was the only one allowed to yell at her husband.
"I'll talk to him however I like." Amarice growled as she shoved Lila back. Leo just dropped his head to the table and tried to block out the fight that was going on.
"Amarice! Lila! That's enough." Xena shouted as she walked over to the arguing duo. She had been watching with mild amusement at the fight that was going on, but now that it was beginning to get out of hand, she decided to cut in. She didn't feel like spending her free time fixing up any damages the two of them made. She raised an eyebrow when the two of them seemed to ignore her. Nobody ignored the Warrior Princess.
Without warning, she grabbed the back of Lila's dress and Amarice's armor. Lila shrieked in surprise as she found herself being bodily thrown over Xena's shoulder. Amarice merely grunted when Xena practically dragged her away from the table and threw her over her other shoulder.
"Put me down! Put me down this instant, Xena!" Lila yelled as her legs kicked in the air.
"What's the matter, Lila? Afraid everyone will see up your dress?" Amarice mocked her. Lila's eyes narrowed as she reached her arms out in an attempt to strangle the Auburn haired woman.
"Put me down so I can pound her, Xena!" Lila commanded as they began ascending the staircase.
"Oh, I'd like to see you try. What are you going to do? Hit me with a broom?" the young Amazon asked. "Oh no! Please don't!" she said, feigning fear. Xena simply rolled her eyes at the two of them. Amarice was acting worse with Lila than she did with Solan.
'And I thought that wasn't possible.' she thought as they finally made it to the top of the stairs. Xena then walked over to Amarice's room and kicked open the door before dropping the Amazon. Amarice hit the floor with a loud 'thud', and it took her a second to recover from the surprising drop. By the time she had regained her composure, however, the door had been slammed shut and locked from the outside.
"Well, I never thought I'd be locked in my room ever again." she groused before walking over to her bed and sitting down, resigned to her fate. Besides, she did have to admit that she probably shouldn't have acted the way she did. 'It made me feel better, though.' she thought with a grin as she laid back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She just couldn't understand why someone would want to get married so young and throw away whatever potential they had to give to the world.
Meanwhile, Xena was throwing a very upset Lila onto the bed of one of the vacant rooms in her mother's inn. Before the young woman could object and run out of the room, Xena was shutting the door and locking it like she had done with Amarice's room. She could hear the girl getting up from the bed and walking over to the door, yelling obscenities at Xena the entire time while she pounded on the barrier between them. The Warrior Princess just rolled her eyes again while thinking that Lila and her big sister had a lot in common.
By sunrise the next morning, Xena was already saddling Argo while waiting for Amarice to join her. Lila and her husband had decided that they would be leaving shortly after Xena, and they were already hitching their horses up to the wagon that had carried them to Amphipolis. Both Xena and Cyrene were relieved, since that meant Amarice and Lila would not be around each other for much longer.
"Sorry I'm late. I had a few tag-a-longs that wouldn't take no for an answer." The familiar voice of the teenager pulled Xena's gaze away from Argo for a moment. The scene she saw made her stifle a chuckle. Solan was practically hanging from Amarice's neck, while Nexa had wrapped herself around the young woman's leg. "Yeah, laugh it up, Warrior Princess. Just remember it's a long ways to Volos.” she growled as Solan dropped to the ground and Nexa let go of her leg.
“Am’wice, I go up!” the little blonde commanded, her arms lifted so the teenager could pick her up.
“And what makes you think I’m going to do that?” Amarice asked before crossing her arms defiantly, although the look on Nexa’s face immediately made her regret asking. The small blonde’s eyes narrowed before she kicked Amarice in the shin. “You little brat!” the teenager hissed as she reached down for her sore leg.
“I go up!” Nexa commanded again before jumping into the lowered torso of the Amazon. Amarice wrapped her arms around the little girl on instinct before realizing that Nexa had tricked her. “Told you.” she said as Amarice straightened again, ignoring the chuckles that were coming from Solan.
“You’re a cocky little thing.” Amarice commented before looking at Xena. “I think she’s been hanging around you too long. She‘s beginning to act like you.” The other warrior simply shrugged, hiding her amusement at the display that Nexa had put on.
“Xena, I wanted to ask if I could come with you.” Solan finally said once he was sure he could speak without breaking out into laughter. He had been thinking about it since he found out the night before that Xena and Amarice would be leaving to find Gabrielle.
“And why would you want to come with us?” Xena asked boredly as she checked Argo’s reigns before moving on to check her saddle.
“I want to be able to protect your mother and Nexa?” he said, as if asking if that was a good enough reason. Xena looked at him for a moment before shaking her head and turning back to Argo. “Okay, fine. My birthday is coming up soon and I want to spend it with you.” he admitted, causing Xena to stop what she was doing. ‘I knew it! I knew it was a stupid reason! I should have just lied!’ he berated himself when he heard her sigh.
“Solan, you can come.”
“Yeah, I knew that was a stupid reason. I don’t blame you for making me stay... wait, what?”
“I said you can come with us. I don’t know why you would want to spend your birthday with me, but I won’t deny you the chance.” she told him, sighing to herself once more. “But you have to promise to behave.” she added on when she caught the glare from Amarice that was sent her way.
“I promise!” Solan exclaimed excitedly before wrapping Xena in a hug. Feeling uncomfortable with the contact, she awkwardly returned the hug before the boy released her. “I’ll go get my things. I won’t be long.” he said before running out of the stables and heading back to the tavern.
“I go, too?” Nexa asked, looking at Xena with hopeful eyes. The warrior chuckled before shaking her head.
“Sorry, Nexa. Not this time.” she said as she ruffled the girl’s hair, ignoring the protests she received.
“Next time?”
“Maybe.” Xena replied, earning a small cheer from Nexa as she took her from Amarice. The Amazon sighed in relief when the handful was taken out of her arms. “Want to go help Mother in the kitchen?” she asked the little girl, who nodded vehemently. Xena chuckled before heading for the tavern, leaving Amarice to saddle Ice.
“Why are you here, little bard?” Callisto asked as she watched the smaller blonde throw up what she had eaten that day. A week had gone by, and Gabrielle had fought in the arena once more, where she had killed again. Seeing Xena’s so called pure bard killing; and seeing the look of pure hatred when she shoved those knives of hers into the body of her opponents... It would warm Callisto’s heart, if she had one.
“What makes you think I would tell you?” Gabrielle asked after she finished retching. She leaned her head against the cell bars and wiped her mouth. The burning sensation reminded her of what she had done not too long ago.
It had been the same as the first fight, only she hadn’t chosen the staff as her weapon. The first match in the underground fighting ring that her shoulder couldn’t handle the strain of using a staff. So, she had decided to use the weapons that her first opponent had used. The guards told her they were called sais, and from what she could tell, she could use the weapons to simply knock an opponent out with the blunt handles. She hadn’t counted on seeing Perdicas’ face whenever she fought, though.
“I have got to get out of here.” she muttered under her breath as she looked up at the night sky. The crescent moon reminded her of the image on her armor, which in turn reminded her of the man she had killed that night. It took all her self control to keep her stomach down.
“Now why would you ever want to get out of here? It’s not so bad.” Callisto’s voice remarked from behind her. “The company’s not so bad, either.” she chuckled. Gabrielle jumped when she saw a rat on the hand that was so close to her face. “Oh, don’t be like that. Ares just wanted to say hello.”
“And you wonder why I want to get out of here...” Gabrielle remarked, rolling her eyes. “If I stay here any longer, I’ll end up like you.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Callisto asked as she dropped her rat to the ground, suddenly defensive. “It wasn’t this prison that made me how I am, little bard. It was your precious Xena.”
“Xena is not to blame for your choices in life, Callisto.” Gabrielle growled, turning around so that she was facing the insane woman.
“She ordered my village destroyed. She killed my family. She created me.” Callisto said with a shrug.
“Callisto, Cirra was a mistake! Xena didn’t order it burned. Her men got out of control.” the smaller woman explained, trying hard to defend her old friend. Despite the fact that the warrior had gone back on her word, Gabrielle still couldn’t help her reflexive instinct to defend her reputation.
“Look here, you irritating blonde!” Callisto said as she wrapped her fingers around Gabrielle’s throat and shoved her up against the bars of the cell. “I don’t care what she told you. Xena is the reason why I no longer have my mother and sister. Xena is the reason why I had to grow up alone. Xena is the reason I’m like this!” she hissed, ignoring Gabrielle‘s fingers that were clawing at her hand. “Do not try to explain away her actions!” she said before dropping the smaller blonde.
“The only way... to stop the circle of hate... is with love.” Gabrielle said, repeating the words that she had told Xena many years ago as she tried to regain her breath.
“Oh please. Love hasn’t been working very well for you lately, has it?“ Callisto taunted her. “Besides; like I told Theodorus: Love is a trick that nature plays on us to get us to reproduce. It doesn’t exist, little bard.” she said before leaving Gabrielle to wallow in her pain.
Gabrielle simply turned on her side and looked back up at the moon again. She knew love existed. Her love for her daughter was what kept her going when she was with Perdicas. Her love for Nexa gave her the strength to stand up for herself. Her love for her world kept her hope of escaping this prison alive.
‘If love didn’t exist,’ Gabrielle silently mused as she traced the stars with her eyes, ‘then I would have died a long time ago.’ This thought scared her, and caused her to stop making shapes with the blinking stars above. It frightened her that she could still put so much belief in something that she couldn’t see; that she could base her life on it. She fell asleep pondering why she could still believe in love after all she went through, while Callisto couldn’t.
She hadn’t been asleep long when the sounds of shouts and weapons reached her ears. Unfortunately, it was Callisto’s insane laughter that finally pulled her out of her slumber. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she looked up to find the insane blonde standing next to her, although she was looking outside the cell instead of down at her. Wanting to know what it was that had captured Callisto’s attention, Gabrielle looked outside the cell and gasped.
Prisoners were running around everywhere while the guards chased after them. A storm of arrows rained down from the edge of the canyon as the prisoners fought to escape, but the attacks were futile. They were hitting their own guards along with the prisoners.
“It seems you weren’t the only one that didn’t want to end up like me.” Callisto giggled as she continued to watch the chaos. Gabrielle was about to respond, but the willowy blonde’s hand was snapping between the bars of the cell and grabbing a guard before she could get the words out of her mouth. She realized the guard that she had grabbed was the one that she usually taunted. “I have been waiting a long time for this, Dear.” she purred before snapping the man’s neck. The now dead guard fell to the ground with a sickening thud, making Callisto giggle. “I’ve always wanted to do that.” she admitted before bending over and pulling the fallen body closer to the cell.
“What... What are you doing?” Gabrielle asked as she fought to keep her stomach down. Callisto’s gaze lifted from the dead body of the guard and Gabrielle found herself staring into the woman’s brown eyes. From the look in them, the former bard guessed that this was a rare moment of clarity for the blonde.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” she asked before holding the keys up in front of Gabrielle’s eyes. “We’re getting out of here, and then I’m taking you back to Xena.” she explained as she stood up, pulling Gabrielle up with her.
“What? Why?” Gabrielle was thoroughly confused. ’Is Callisto helping me?’ she silently wondered.
“Well I can’t kill you in front of her if we’re still stuck in here.” the blonde said with a giggle as she reached around and unlocked the prison cell.
‘Nope. Just herself.’ Gabrielle mentally sighed before Callisto roughly pulled her through the now open cell. “Callisto, stop!” she ordered the woman, digging her heels into the ground to stop herself from being moved.
“Oh what is it now?” the blonde asked before kicking backwards at one of the guards that was coming up behind her. The man yelled as he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
“I’m not going to let you use me to hurt Xena.” Gabrielle said, trying to escape the woman’s grip.
“Who said you have a choice?” she asked before ducking a swing from the guard and kicking him again. Before she could say something else, the man was coming at her again. “Do you mind? I’m trying to have a discussion here.” she growled before kicking the guard, this time sending him toppling over the ledge. “Oops. Well, that got rid of him.” she said with a shrug before tugging on Gabrielle again.
“I said no!” the smaller blonde repeated, pulling in the opposite direction. She quickly had to move out of the way of a sword, however, which gave Callisto the chance to pull her to her.
“You’re coming with me, and that’s that.” the insane woman growled before heading up the path, Gabrielle struggling behind her. “Oh, will you cut it out? If it makes you feel better, you can try to escape when we reach the top.” she told her as she threw another guard over the ledge.
“Callisto! I am not going to go with you!” Gabrielle protested before doing something she never thought she would stoop to doing. She brought the arm up that Callisto’s hand was wrapped around and bit down hard on the other woman’s fingers. The willowy blonde shrieked in surprise, loosening her grip enough so that Gabrielle could escape her grasp and make a run for it.
“Get back here, you irritating little blonde!” she yelled before flipping in the air and cutting off Gabrielle’s escape. “You don’t just bite me and run away.” she growled before tackling the former bard. Gabrielle winced as she made contact with the hard ground, but managed to pull herself quickly. She brought her arms up in time to stop a punch at her face from Callisto.
“Get off me!” she yelled, trying to roll away. Callisto was having none of that, though. One of the insane woman’s hands found its way to Gabrielle’s neck and held her in place so she couldn’t escape. She was about to knock the little bard out when she felt an arrow pierce the skin of her upper left arm. She saw Gabrielle’s eyes widen at the sight of the arrow sticking out of her arm and had to smirk.
“Looks like we’ll be working together if we don’t want to die here.” she said as she released the other woman’s neck and flipped off of her, landing behind the guard that had shot her. As soon as he turned around, she kicked the crossbow out of his hands and pushed him over the edge with her good arm. She looked over to see Gabrielle handling her own guards, although it looked like she wasn’t having much luck. An loud shriek left her throat as she ran into the fray to help. The only one that got to kill Gabrielle was her, and only if she had an audience made up of Xena.
Standing back to back, the two enemies made allies fought against the onslaught of guards, but they could only go so long before starting to tire. The guards just kept coming at them, making Gabrielle wonder how many people actually worked for this prison. She even noticed that some of the people that attacked them were prisoners out for revenge, usually for killing a friend of theirs in the arena. The never-ending enemies were beginning to take their toll on them, even the insane Callisto. Even in her tired state, however, Gabrielle was still able to see the archer at the top of canyon loading his crossbow out of the corner of her eye.
“Callisto, look out!” she yelled in warning when she realized that the archer was aiming at the willowy blonde.
“Kind of busy here!” Callisto responded as she held off an overhead strike with a sword that she had taken from one of the dead guards. The smaller blonde was about to warn her about the archer, but the crossbow had already been fired. Gabrielle found time slowing down as she confidently reached into the air. It sped up again when her fingers wrapped around the shaft of the crossbow bolt.
‘I caught it!’ she thought as she stared in disbelief at the arrow in her hand. It was her last conscious thought before a guard took advantage of her distraction and knocked her out with the hilt of his sword.
When Gabrielle awoke, she was back in her cell and had a throbbing headache. The rest of her body hurt as well, but her head was causing her the most discomfort. She reached up and gingerly felt the sore spot with her fingers, making herself wince. She had most definitely been hit in the head.
“It’s about time you woke up. A day really is a long time to make me wait for someone to talk to.” a familiar voice called from the corner of the cell. Gabrielle looked up from her hand and in the direction that Callisto’s voice had come from. The moonlight shining into the cell only illuminated half of the insane woman’s face, which Gabrielle thought suited her personality in a strange way.
“They didn’t kill us?” the former bard asked in surprise. She hadn’t expected to live through the night.
“Of course they didn’t kill us. We put on quite a show last night.” Callisto said with a giggle. “In fact, they want us to work together in the fighting ring from now on. Apparently, we make quite a team.” she continued before stepping out into the moonlight, making Gabrielle gasp. There was a long cut running diagonally across Callisto’s face that hadn’t been there the day before.
“What happened?” she asked as she stared at the wound. It looked like Callisto was lucky that her eye hadn’t been taken out.
“Well, after you decided to save my life, one of the guards decided to knock you unconscious. It was a little hard to keep fighting by myself after that.” the other woman explained. “Someone got in a lucky shot, is all.” Gabrielle couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Callisto had been cut across the face by someone and she was waving it off? Before she could ask if her cellmate was insane, Callisto asked a question of her own. “After all this time, do you really care for Xena so much that you would give up your freedom to keep her from being hurt?”
“... Yes.”