Time seemed to slow down around her as Gabrielle watched Callisto fall to the ground. The yells of the guards and the cheering from the crowd and prisoners all seemed to be drowned out by the thud that Callisto's body made when she fell. Forgetting about the guards, Gabrielle dropped her sais and quickly ran to the fallen woman's side.
"Callisto..." Hesitantly reaching a shaking hand out, Gabrielle carefully rolled the other blonde onto her side and pulled her into her lap. Tears filled her eyes at the sight of the arrow protruding from Callisto's chest, just above her left breast. The arrow that was meant for her. "Are you insane? Why did you do that?" Chocolate brown eyes fluttered open and met hers.
"I told you, little bard... I'm the only one here that gets to kill you," Callisto told her, a familiar, albeit pained, smirk on her face.
"Why do you have to be so pig-headed all the time?" Gabrielle asked as she wiped the tears out of her eyes. "People don't just jump in front of an arrow for someone if they're going to kill them anyways." Gabrielle's voice cracked at the last part as her emotions got the better of her.
"I turned into her... into something I hate..." Callisto admitted while Gabrielle listened intently. She knew that Callisto could have told her something sarcastic, so when she began giving the real reasons, Gabrielle focused all her attention on the wounded woman. "I don't want to be her anymore... and you said that love was the only thing that could end the cycle of hate," she reminded the bard. "Just consider this my first step," she said tiredly as her eye lids began to droop.
"Callisto, come on. You can make it through this. Just keep your eyes open. Please?" Gabrielle pleaded before the guards pulled her away from the downed woman. "No! Help her! You have to help her!" she shouted as she struggled to get away from the men holding her. She watched as they began to carry the other blonde away, tears streaming down her face as they took away the only person in the prison that had been helping her. Then everything went black.
When Gabrielle opened her eyes again, she was back in her cell and there was a horrible pounding in the back of her head. The sunlight streaming in did nothing to ease it. Looking around, she noticed that she was alone. At first, she was confused; but the sight of the blood on the front of her armor brought back the memories of the night before. Before Gabrielle could stop it, a sob escaped her throat. Not long after, the dam broke and a flood of tears cascaded down her face.
With Callisto gone, Gabrielle was truly alone. She didn't know how long she'd be able to stay alive in the prison without the other woman there guarding her back, either. And as much as she hated to admit it, she had been able to forge an odd friendship with the other woman.
"Why did you have to do that?" she asked the air around her, although she already knew the answer. She had to stifle a sob as she remembered the wounded woman telling her why she had jumped in front of the arrow. Unable to stop her memories, she remembered the way the other blonde's eyelids drooped and the light in her eyes went out as she passed over to the other side. It was an image that she knew would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.
For the next two weeks, the only thing that took her mind off of Callisto’s death was the fighting in the prison. Although she didn’t like when she killed her opponents, the fight itself gave Gabrielle an escape from her thoughts. It was because of this that she began drawing her fights out longer than they usually would have been. She began to play with her opponents more often while taking risks that she normally wouldn‘t.
She didn’t know why she was still alive to fight in the first place. What was the point of killing Callisto but keeping her alive? They were partners, after all. They both had been losing the prison money. She had tried asking the guards a few times but they never gave her an answer. It seemed that ever since Callisto had died, the only times the guards even acknowledged that she was there was when they had to drag her out of the cell to fight. It wasn’t until after Callisto’s death that Gabrielle learned why she was still alive, when the God of War himself appeared in her cell while she was watching another fight.
“Beautiful, isn’t it? he asked, coming up behind her and placing his hand on her shoulders. He wasn’t surprised to feel a shudder pass through her body. “It’s like a dance, don’t you think?” Gabrielle ignored him, choosing to focus all of her attention on the fight going on below. “Come now, Gabrielle. Don’t be like that. Would it really hurt to talk to me?” His question was met with silence. “Imagine that: a mute bard,” he commented, getting Gabrielle to turn around and glare at him. “Fine. You don’t have to talk anyways. Just listen to what I have to say.”
“What happened to you was horrible, absolutely awful. I have to say, though, I’ve been watching you fight; and you’ve gotten good,” he told her, moving to her side and whispering in her ear, “Real good.”
“Go away, Ares. I’m not interested in anything you have to say,” she interrupted him, pulling her head away from him.
“Oh, but I think you will be extremely interested in this,” Ares told her, crossing his arms as he watched her turn her back to him. “Tell me, Gabrielle... Do you like it in here?” he asked. “I imagine you don’t. I wouldn’t enjoy being separated from my child if I had one,” he told her. He smirked when he saw the muscles in her arms tighten and her fists clench in anger.
“Don’t you even think about my daughter. If you ever go near her, I will find a way to make you suffer so much that you’ll wish you were able to die,” she threatened him in a dangerously low voice. Ares simply laughed at her.
“You didn’t used to be this violent, did you? I guess being stuck in this place can change even someone as ‘pure’ as you,” he mused. “Damn it, I like it!” he exclaimed excitedly.
“Ares, either make your point or go away,” she ordered him.
“See, that’s what I like about you, Gabrielle,” he told her, only half-lying. “It’s like you’re Xena and Callisto rolled into one package. You have a combination of their fighting skills and their attitudes. Well, I’d say you’re a little more Xena than Callisto in the attitude department.” Ares uncrossed his arms and walked back over to Gabrielle, turning her around so that his eyes were boring into hers. “How about you put those skills to some use for me instead of wasting them in here?”
“If you know Xena or Callisto, then you should already know that my answer is going to be no,” she told him, hiding her surprise at his request.
“Oh, but Gabrielle. Xena and Callisto don’t have as much at stake as you do. Xena’s a free woman, and, well... Callisto’s dead.” Ares found himself dodging a punch before continuing. “Neither of them have anything to gain from joining me. You, on the other hand, do.”
“And what, exactly, do I have to gain from joining you?” she asked curiously, taking a step back only to run into the bars.
“Your freedom, of course. How long do you think you’ll last in this place by yourself? The only reason why they didn’t kill you after they stuck that insane blonde with an arrow was because they knew you’d be done for sooner rather than later,” he said. Gabrielle could feel her anger rising at the God of War as he continued to talk so calmly about her predicament. “And lets face it: Xena isn’t going to be saving you anytime soon. She’s too busy working for that ‘Greater Good’ thing you two are so big on.”
“The answer is still no, Ares. Joining with you isn’t freedom. It’s selling my soul,” she told him with a voice of finality.
“Gabrielle, this is a once in a lifetime offer. Join me and you can make sure no one ever has to go through what you have. You could destroy every single fighting ring in the known world. You could even hunt down any man ever accused of beating his wife,” he offered. "You could see your daughter and Xena again."
“How many times will I have to tell you no before you get it through your head that I won’t join you? Freedom isn’t worth destroying my ideals for.”
“Your ideals? You’ve broken your ideals countless times already, and that was without my help,” he reminded her. “At least you get something out of it if you break them for me.” Gabrielle remained silent, unable to argue with his point. “Face it, Gabrielle. Your ideals were a lie. Love doesn’t exist and peace is impossible to maintain.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Ares. Love does exist. Even Callisto figured that out,” she told him. “For the last time, the answer is no. Now leave.”
“Fine. I’ll enjoy watching you rot,” he told her with a sneer, the fake charm disappearing from his voice just before he vanished into thin air. Gabrielle let out a relieved sigh and shook her head before slumping against the bars of the cell. She had been so tempted to give in to him and take his offer. If he had tried a little harder, perhaps she would have. She certainly wasn’t getting out by herself and, as much as she hated to admit it, she was beginning to lose hope of Xena ever finding her again. For all she knew, the warrior princess still thought she was dead.
"Xena, must our disguises get even more ridiculous every time we go into one of these prisons?" Amarice asked, looking down at what she was wearing, which wasn't much. The little bit of the top that she was wearing was a dirty, white half-shirt that was frayed at the edges and didn't even reach her navel. Luckily, her brown skirt was a decent length, stopping halfway down her thigh. Still, she felt like a harlot; and a cheap one at that!
"I dunno. I think Armon kind of likes your new look," Xena commented as she began putting on her own disguise. Amarice rolled her eyes as she thought about Armon.
"Yeah, I'm sure you're right about that," she concurred as she pulled her curly hair back. "I still can't believe he walked in on us like that. He knew we were changing. You may have to stop me from ripping his eyes out before we leave, Xena." The warrior princess chuckled before turning around and facing Amarice.
"Well?" she asked, although the wide-eyed look on Amarice's face gave her the answer she needed. She could see the young Amazon trying hard not to laugh, and she had to admit that she had gone a little overboard with her disguise. She had put on a fake goatee and mustache along with matching sideburns. Instead of wearing her own leathers and armor, which now took up the bed of the room in the inn, she was wearing a Corinthian helmet with the armor to match. It would be hard for anyone to guess that underneath the silver helmet and bronze plate armor was the warrior princess, even if she was wearing her own pleats, greaves, and boots.
"Well, you don't look like Xena, that's for sure," Amarice told her. 'More like a reject from the Athenian army,' she mentally added on.
"Good," Xena said before leading the way out of the room, Amarice shaking her head and following after her.
"Well Xena, you look uh... different," Iolaus said when they met up in the market square of Corinth. "I'm sure no one will be able to recognize you. Hades, I barely recognize you."
"Stop staring, Armon!" Amarice barked at the dark-skinned male, who immediately turned his head away from Amarice and began looking elsewhere. "Good boy," she muttered before looking around. "Hey, where's Hercules?" she asked, not seeing the demigod anywhere in the crowded street they were on.
"Oh, he went to help a woman pull her cart back to her house after her horse got loose. He should be back soon," Iolaus told her.
"Amarice, I think you should know that there is one more part to your disguise," Xena said, pulling the young Amazon's attention away from Iolaus.
"You mean you've thought of something else to add on to make me feel even stupider?" Amarice asked bitterly.
"Yes." Before the young woman could react, the missing Hercules was coming up behind her and placing shackles around her wrists. Amarice quickly found her arms being weighed down by heavy chains attached to said shackles.
"Hey!" she objected, turning around and glaring at the demigod, who had a smile on his face. "What's the big idea? Why do I have to wear these?" she asked, turning back to Xena and glaring at the smirking warrior princess.
"Well, a slave is supposed to wear chains. It would look suspicious if you didn't," Xena explained with a shrug.
"And you didn't consider asking me first?" Amarice asked in a low growl.
"I considered it. I just knew you would say no."
"Of course I would say no! Hey, I have an idea. I'll be the strong warrior and you be the body slave!" she shouted angrily. Xena ignored her as she walked over to Hercules.
"Good luck, Xena. Remember: we won't be far, just in case you need us," he said before placing a hand on her shoulder. "You'll find her this time. I can feel it."
"I'd like to believe you, Hercules, but you've said that at every prison we've investigated so far," she told him with a small, sad smile.
"Well, this time it feels different. You're going to find her," he insisted as he withdrew his hand from her shoulder.
"I hope you're right," she muttered quietly before walking back over to Amarice, who was still glaring at her. "Come on, body slave," she ordered as she picked up the lead to the chain and yanked on it.
"Hey! Be careful with that, warrior princess!" Amarice protested as she clumsily caught her balance and followed after Xena. With that they were off, hopefully to the prison that held Gabrielle.
As they traversed the few miles that lay between Corinth and the prison, Xena thought back on the past month. They had searched three other prisons, each time using a different disguise. Each time they came up empty handed. After the last one, Xena had stopped getting her hopes up. She was tired of them being dashed down once she found out her efforts were for nothing.
"Xena, do you think Hercules' feeling is right?" Amarice asked, breaking the stifling silence that had descended over them. She had apparently gotten over the problem she had with her disguise.
"I don't know. If it isn't, then there's always the next prison on our list," she said. 'And if it is, I'll be the happiest woman in the known world,' she mentally added.
That afternoon, unaware of Xena's plans to come rescue her, Gabrielle found herself staring hopelessly into the eyes of one of Callisto's rats in the dark corner of her cell. Ironically enough, it was the one her old cellmate called Ares, and he had come looking for her. Just like the God he was named after had. Of course, he had come for food, not to try and convince her to join him.
"You know, you're starting to look kind of cute," she admitted to the rat as she held him up to her face. The black rat simply stared back at her with hungry, beady eyes. Now that she thought about it, Ares and the rat had a lot in common. "No wonder why Callisto liked talking to you," she muttered before placing the creature on the ground again. It simply continued to look at her, waiting for something. "Oh fine. Here you go," she conceded, pulling out the piece of bread she had been hiding behind her. She broke off a tiny piece and set it in front of the rat. "Now don't eat that too fast," she warned the rat as it took the piece of bread and scurried off. Gabrielle blinked when she heard herself say those words. "I can't believe this. I'm talking to a rat! You'd think I have no friends are something," she said to herself. "Oh wait..."
The blonde sighed to herself and rested her chin on her hands, staring off into the space in front of her. The offer that Ares had made her was still fresh in her mind. She would give anything to see her daughter again, but did that include her soul? Was getting her freedom back worth destroying herself in the process? Thinking back, she realized that she had started on that road to self-destruction when she killed Perdicas. After that, it had just been a downward spiral that she couldn't see the end of.
'But I killed to save Nexa. I couldn't let him hurt her,' she thought, trying to remind herself that she had lost her blood innocence for a good reason. 'I killed for love. And Callisto died for it.' Gabrielle had to close her eyes and block out the memory of Callisto's body before she retreated back into her thoughts. 'Ares can't be right. My ideals can't be wrong. If they are, then Callisto died for nothing. I killed for a lost cause.' she thought. "I won't accept that," she said with conviction. Ares simply squeaked in agreement before returning his attention back to the bread. Personally, he would have rather gotten cheese, but at least his new caretaker was trying.
"Hey Blondie. There's someone here interested in taking a look at ya." The voice of one of the guards pulled Gabrielle out of her thoughts. Quickly lifting her head up, she saw that someone had indeed accompanied the guards that usually walked by her cell. Behind the newcomer was a woman that appeared to be a slave. It wasn't hard for Gabrielle to guess what kind of slave judging by the way she was dressed. There was something familiar about the man in armor that owned the slave, but the former bard couldn't place it. The helmet obscured her view of his face, but she could see a few strands of long, dark hair trying to fight their way out. "Come on then. Come out into the light, little girlie."
Xena watched in disgust as the guard continued to taunt the prisoner until, finally, the woman came out of the shadows. She was barely able to stop her breath from catching when she saw the familiar face of her bard staring back at her. Her hair was shorter than she remembered and the woman was covered in dirt; the was also an emptiness to Gabrielle's eyes that she wasn't used to seeing there, but Xena knew it was her bard and she could feel her heart aching to pull the woman into her arms.
"Is this what you were lookin' fer? Or is yer employer interested in someone with a little more uh... thrust?" he asked. Xena had to stop herself from rolling her eyes behind her helmet before answering in a deep voice.
“I told you. My employer doesn’t want bodyguards that’ll be tempted to spoil the goods, if you know what I mean,” she answered him, drawing a knowing smirk from the guard. “This one will do just fine.” The guard chuckled, shaking his head as he walked off.
“I’ll be back in a moment with the chains,” he called back to her, leaving Xena with the silent guard, Amarice, and Gabrielle. All Xena could do was stare into the hollow emerald eyes of her friend, wishing she could say something that would comfort her. Unable to resist, she took a step forward only to watch as Gabrielle took a step back. "Here they are," the talkative guard said as he came back with the chains, breaking the awkward silence that had arisen. "Now then... I take it you've already paid the man up top?" he asked as he began to unlock the barred door to the cell. Gabrielle watched as the man came into her cell, listening for the other man's response.
"Don't worry. He's gotten his payment in full." So that was it then. She was being sold off like an animal. Gabrielle was surprised that she hadn't figured it out already. They had her fighting in an arena like an animal. What was to stop them from selling her off like one? Watching as the guards placed the shackles around her wrists, the bard began to come up with a plan.
"Here you are," the guard said as he attached the lead chain to the one that held the body slave. "Hope you enjoy her... services," he told the man in armor, giving him a wink. Gabrielle wasn't sure, but she thought she saw the soldier's eyes narrow. It was hard to tell with the nose plate of the helmet blocking her view of his whole face.
"Thanks," he mumbled before pulling on the chain and leading Gabrielle up the rocky incline.
On the way to meet Hercules and the others, Xena could feel Gabrielle's eyes boring into the back of her head. She could almost feel the anger radiating off of the blonde woman walking between her and Amarice. Unable to take the silence between them, Xena turned around and stared at the bard. Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, the smaller woman leapt at the warrior princess, pulling Amarice along with her.
"Whoa!" Xena barely managed to keep her balance as she dropped the lead chain and brought her hands up, grabbing hold of Gabrielle's wrists on instinct. Luckily, her size worked for her and she was able to stay standing, which was more than she could say for Amarice, who had been yanked to the ground when Gabrielle's chain pulled on hers. "Will you calm down?"
"Let go of me! I said let go!" The bard struggled to free her wrists from the grasp of her captor, only to find herself being pulled closer to the soldier. "I'm warning you. If you don't let go, I'll do something you won't like very much," she threatened. When the soldier didn't obey her, she narrowed her eyes before bringing her knee up, hitting him below the belt. She blinked in surprise when he didn't let go, although she thought she heard him stifle a groan. "That usually works..." she muttered to herself.
"If you'd just let me explain-"
"Explain what? That you bought me from a prison with bars just to place me in one of servitude? You don't need to explain that because I understand it just fine," she growled at the man before spitting in his face.
"Oh, that's pretty," the soldier said sarcastically, letting go of one of Gabrielle's wrists to wipe the saliva away. Thinking it was her chance to get away, the bard pulled on her arm once more, only to realize that the man was still stronger than she was.
"Will you let go of me?!"
"Do you promise not to run away?"
"No."
"Well, at least you're honest," the soldier said. "Look, once we get further from the prison, I'll explain everything."
"Maybe you should just explain now. It'd be less painful for the both of us," an irritated Amarice suggested as she got up from the ground, dusting herself off. "Look, Gabrielle-"
"How do you know my name?" the blonde asked, trying to back away from the man holding onto her wrists. "Who are you two?" She heard the soldier sigh before using his free hand to pull his helmet off. Gabrielle gasped when she saw the face behind it, not noticing when he let go of her wrist. "Xena?" Before the other woman could answer, the blonde felt herself pitching forward into darkness.
"Whoa!" Xena quickly found herself catching the bard before she hit the ground. "Well, that's not the response I was hoping for," she muttered to herself as she pulled the smaller woman into her arms and cradling her like a small child. "Amarice, do you still have the key to the locks?" she asked, shifting Gabrielle's weight slightly.
"Yeah, hold on," the young Amazon said before pulling said key out from between her cleavage. "Got it."
"Interesting hiding place," Xena commented, receiving a glare from the auburn haired woman.
"Where did you expect me to keep it? This disguise you picked out didn't leave me very many options," she growled at the warrior princess as she undid the locks on her shackles, mentally sighing with relief when she heard the chain slip to the ground. She then walked over to Xena and Gabrielle and unlocked the shackles that held the blonde's wrists captive.
"Okay. Lets get back to the others," Xena said, choosing to ignore Amarice's comment.
The short time it took to get back to Hercules and the others was far too long for Xena's tastes. So, the warrior princess was relieved when she saw the familiar demigod come into her line of sight. She was even happier when they actually reached each other.
"What did I tell you?" the larger man said when he saw the figure that she was cradling as if it were a precious treasure. Though judging by the rare, loving look in Xena's eyes, that's exactly what Gabrielle was to the warrior princess.
"I guess your feeling was right, Hercules," Xena admitted softly, not taking her eyes off of Gabrielle. So much had changed about the bard. Now that she was able to get a good look at her, Xena noticed that her hair had been lightened by the sun, while her skin was darkened by its rays. She had more muscle than Xena remembered, although she wasn't surprised by that. Despite those changes, and the fact that she was covered in dirt and grime, Xena still thought that Gabrielle was the most beautiful thing she had ever laid eyes on.
"What do you mean 'I guess your feeling was right'? You really need to learn how to express gratitude, Warrior Babe." Xena mentally groaned at the sound of Aphrodite's voice. "All attitude problems aside, congrats Xena. You found the bard!" The blonde goddess smiled widely at the woman carrying Gabrielle, her eyes shining with excitement. "Well, now that you totally found Sweet Pea, don't you think it's time you cleaned her up a bit? I'm sure the little bard would appreciate some TLC after what she's been through."
"And where, may I ask, would you have us do this?" Xena asked in an irritated voice. They were in the middle of a dusty road, miles away from Corinth. Where the air-headed Goddess expected them to take care of Gabrielle, Xena had no idea.
"In a tub, duh. Where else?" Aphrodite pointed out as if the answer had been clear as day.
"Do you see any tubs around here?" Amarice asked, her own patience with the goddess wearing thin. The immortal blonde giggled to herself before snapping her fingers. Before they knew it, Xena and the others found themselves standing in a bathing room of someone's house. A round, wooden tub was in front of them, already filled with water.
"I do now, Red."
"Aphrodite, I know you're a god, but that doesn't mean you can just put us in the bathing room of a stranger's home," Hercules said. Although Aphrodite was one of his half-siblings that he could put up with most of the time, there were some things about her that made him wonder if they truly were related.
"Like, don't you think I know that?" she said with a slight pout. "Don't let the blonde hair fool ya, Bro. I'm not as dumb as you all seem to think I am," she told him.
"Aphrodite, that's not what he meant," Iolaus said, putting gentle hand on her forearm.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure," she said, waving the blonde man off. Her pout disappeared, however, and the hurt was no longer in her voice when she spoke again. "I'm pretty sure that the people here will be totally more than willing to let you use your tub. Which reminds me... there's a tub filled with bubbles back on Olympus calling my name. I'll check back with you later, Warrior Babe. Be sure to clean behind her ears!" With that, the Goddess of Love was gone, leaving the mortals alone in the bathing room of a house they had never been in before. Before anyone in the group could say anything to break the following silence, someone else did.
"Leo, I don't want to go in the tub. The bed is much more comfortable." A small smile appeared on Xena's face when she heard the voice, recognizing it immediately.
"I don't care. The bathtub is the one place we haven't gone yet, and I told you that we were going to get to know every inch of this place." A blush spread across almost everyone's face when they realized what topic they were discussing. They weren't the only one's blushing, however, when Leo barged into the bathing room with his shirt off, carrying a struggling Lila over his shoulder.
"Um, Lila? We have company," he said, somehow managing not to drop his wife in surprise when he saw everyone but Xena facing at them.
"What do you mean we have company?" the dark-haired girl asked, unable to turn her head to see what her husband was staring at. She figured it was just a rat or some other animal that had gotten into their home again.
"Xena and her friends are here."
"What?! Why are you still carrying me like this if they're here?!" she asked angrily. Taking the hint, Leo set his wife down on the floor and gently as he could. "Er... we uh... didn't hear you come in," Lila said with as much dignity as she could, trying hard to cover her embarrassment. She thanked whatever gods that were listening that she was still wearing all of her clothes.
"Someone dropped us off," Iolaus said with a shrug.
"Oh. Alright then," Lila said as she nervously straightened out her skirt. "Hey wait," she started, her hands stopping their fidgeting, "if you're here, does that mean you found..." She was too afraid to actually voice her sister's name, scared that if she said it, it wouldn't be true. To answer her question, Xena turned around, revealing what she had been carrying in her arms. "By the gods... you found her! I can't believe it! You really found her!" Lila brought her hands up to her mouth, trying hard to contain her excitement. Xena had found her older sister, and Potidaea had been their first stop just like she promised.
"Yeah, we found her. But right now we need to get her cleaned up. I'm sure it's been awhile since she's been properly washed," Xena said. Lila had to agree with her, and told her that she was free to use the tub.
"I'll visit with her once she wakes up. I'm sure that after everything she's been through, she needs to get some rest," Lila said before pulling her husband out into the hall. "Well are you all just going to stand there, or are you going to help me make a meal to feed you all? The gods know I'm not going to be able to prepare it all by myself," she said, although she was really just trying to allow Xena and her sister some privacy. Taking the hint, the others followed her out of the bathing room and into the kitchen, leaving the warrior princess and the unconscious bard by themselves.
"Lets get you cleaned up, shall we?" she said quietly to the sleeping blonde before gently laying Gabrielle down and taking off the unfamiliar leather armor that covered her body. Once that was done, she carefully lifted the bard once more and slowly lowered her into the warm water, holding her up with one arm and wiping her down with her free hand.
As she washed away the dirt from the skin of the bard, she couldn't help but notice the scars that covered Gabrielle's body. Each one made her wonder if the blonde had gotten it from a fight in the prison or if it had come from something Perdicas did to her. And each one made the warrior princess feel even guiltier than the last.
Once Gabrielle was clean, Xena gently lifted her out of the tub once more and put her into a clean nightshift that Lila had left for her. That done, the warrior princess took Gabrielle to the spare room and tucked her into the bed. That was where they both stayed, the bard in the bed and Xena falling asleep in a chair next to it, until finally green eyes fluttered open once more.
"Xena?" The quiet, questioning voice pulled Xena out of Morpheus' realm. Blue eyes met Gabrielle's and the two of them stayed quiet for what seemed like an eternity.
"I'll go get Lila," Xena said, breaking the silence between them as she got to her feet. She was surprised to feel a hand reach out and grab her own.
"Just wait. I want to talk to you before anyone else," Gabrielle said in a tone that screamed 'listen to me'. She watched as Xena shifted her weight, a sign that she was nervous, before sitting back down. "Xena, I know why you're nervous right now. You think I hate you, and you're probably trying to shoulder the blame for what happened." The warrior princess' expression didn't change, but the flicker in her eyes told the bard that she was right. Gabrielle sighed and shook her head. "It's been almost five years, and that part of you still hasn't changed," she said. Before Xena could talk, she put her hand up. "Just wait. There's something I need to tell you."
"I'll admit that at first, I did blame you. For a while, I was angry at you because you never came back like you said you would. You left me with... with that man," she started off, not missing the guilt that flickered across Xena's face. "But then I was sent to the prison; and I ended up with Callisto. Let's just say talking to her made me realize a few things. Mainly that I shouldn't be blaming you for a decision that I made." She added the last part on quietly before bowing her head and staring at the covers that were pulled over her legs. "It was my fault, not yours."
"Gabrielle, you couldn't have known that Perdicas was like that," Xena assured her once she was sure the bard was done speaking. "You can't blame yourself for something like that."
"You didn't know either, Xena, but you still blame yourself for leaving me with him," Gabrielle pointed out quietly. Xena stared at the bard, realizing that she made a good point.
"I'll make you a deal, Gabrielle," the warrior princess said before reaching over and gently making the bard look at her. She didn't miss the flinch that followed. "As soon as you stop blaming yourself for what happened, I'll stop blaming myself for not finding you sooner," she suggested. Gabrielle answered her with a small, unsure smile and Xena returned it. "Now, how about I go get Lila for you? She's been waiting to talk to you for awhile now."
"I think I'd like that a lot, Xena," Gabrielle said. Xena nodded before walking out of the room and quickly telling Lila that her sister was awake. The dark-haired young woman was unable to contain her squeal of joy before hurrying into the spare room to finally reunite with her sister.
The reunion between friends and family, along with the introductions of a few new faces, lasted for the rest of the night and into the next day. It wasn't long before they were borrowing a wagon from Lila and Leo, though. She had decided not to visit her parents and Xena had a good idea why. She doubted that Gabrielle wanted to be the one to tell them that they had picked out an abusive man to be her husband. Besides, once Xena had told Gabrielle that Nexa had made it to the inn, the bard was eager to reach Amphipolis and see her daughter again. Xena was not one to make her wait. They reached Amphipolis two days after leaving Potidaea, splitting up from Hercules and Iolaus along the way. The closer they got to the city, though, the more Gabrielle worried that her daughter wouldn't want to see her.
"Gabrielle, will you stop fidgeting? Everything is going to be fine," Xena said as she kept her eyes ahead of her. Amarice and Armon had already rode up ahead, Argo following after them so that she could be stabled with the other horses.
"Are you sure? I just... what if she doesn't like me?"
"Oh, she'll like you. You're all she could talk about when we first brought her home," Xena assured the bard as they pulled closer to the tavern.
"Xena, I'm not sure I can do this," Gabrielle admitted before letting out a quiet, humorless laugh. "I can't believe this. I've been waiting for this moment for so long, and now I'm beginning to chicken out."
"You're not going to chicken out, Gabrielle. Not only are you stronger than that, but I'm not going to let you. You and your daughter deserve to be with each other again," the warrior princess told her, placing a reassuring hand on Gabrielle's. She pulled away when she felt the bard flinch.
"I'm sorry," the blonde apologized, knowing that Xena had pulled away because of her reaction.
"It's okay, Gabrielle. I understand." Xena pulled the wagon to a stop before jumping onto the ground. She stared at the bard, who was still sitting on the wagon. "Don't make me come up there and get you, Gabrielle," she said. Able to tell the difference between a threat and a promise, the blonde woman quickly found herself standing on the ground next to the wagon.
"Xena, are you sure-" Before the bard could finish her sentence, a blonde boy and a smaller girl walked out of the tavern.
"Mama!" The sound of her daughter's voice pulled Gabrielle's attention away from Xena and towards the inn. It wasn't long before she found her legs being wrapped in a hug from her daughter. The bard couldn't believe it.
She was no longer trapped in the prison that Perdicas had made in their home. She was no longer locked up in the prison that made her destroy a piece of her soul every night. And, she was with her daughter. It was too good to be true.
"Please don't let this be a trick," she said as she picked her daughter up and hugged her close to her chest. The little girl laughed before pulling back and grabbing her mother's nose.
"I'm not a trick, Mama. I'm real," she said. "And so is Solan and Xena! Am'wice is too, but I dunno where she is." After mentioning Amarice, the blonde girl began looking over Gabrielle's shoulder, trying to find the Amazon. She was taken by surprise when her mother pulled her close again. "Hey!"
"Oh Nexa... I missed you so much," Gabrielle whispered into the dark blonde hair, fighting back the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. "I will never, ever leave you like that again. I promise. I'm sorry I was gone so long and I'm sorry I missed your birthday. Please don't hate me."
"I missed you too, Mama. Don't be sad. I don't hate you," Nexa assured her mother before wrapping her arms around her neck and giving her a hug of her own. "Jade helped me celebrate my biwthday, and Auntie Aphwodite gave me this." Nexa then pulled out the pendant that she had received on her birthday. "See? You and Xena were with me on my biwthday. Solan and Am'wice were, too. You didn't miss it." The tears that Gabrielle had been trying hard to hold back finally escaped, and the bard was unable to hold back a sob. "Oh. Don't cry, Mama. I didn't mean to make you sad."
"I'm not sad, sweetie. They're happy tears," she assured her daughter as she sniffled.
"Oh. Well, that's good," Nexa said before resting her head on Gabrielle's shoulder. "Mama, will you tell me a story?" she suddenly asked, looking up at her mother with hopeful blue-green eyes. Gabrielle gave her a watery smile before nodding her head.
"Any time you ask, my little warrior," she said, before launching into the tale of Xena and her quest to free death from the hands of a man afraid to die. Xena smiled as she followed them to the inn, wrapping her arm around her own son's shoulders when she got to him. As they entered the tavern, Xena was still smiling. Whether they were family by blood or love, she finally had her large family together again. And even though there were still many questions to be answered, she knew that they would be able to find the answers together. Looking at Gabrielle as she continued her story of Celesta, she found that she liked the sound of that. Together.
The End?
Continued...