The day began as any other day that Xena and Gabrielle had traveled together. The morning air was crisp and a slight hint of saltiness hung in the air. "We must be near the sea." was the first groggy thought that came to Gabrielle as she awakened. She was not near as proficient at recognizing the landscape and where they were in relation to it as Xena. "Is there anything she is NOT good at?" She mused, "Yeah! Cooking!" Gabrielle amused herself so much with this last thought that she laughed aloud.
Xena had been saddling Argo but had stopped for a moment to watch the young bard as she slept. She smiled as Gabrielle's chuckle caressed her ear. Xena was so impressed with Gab's ability to be light at heart in any circumstance. They had been traveling long hard roads the past few days and the exhaustion was beginning to show even on the tireless Xena. The mountainous areas they had just been through were necessary evils to get to the township where they would replenish supplies and maybe stay the night at an inn. "A soft bed and a hot bath would do us a world of good." Xena thought. She caught herself thinking back to the last time she and Gabrielle had shared a bath. The water fight had been in fun. There had been an indescribable tension in the air that had to be broken before Xena did something she thought she would regret later. Splashing Gabrielle had been the quickest way to dissipate that building pressure.
As Xena stared off in thought, Gabrielle, now fully awake, watched intently for a sign that Xena would be rejoining reality sometime soon. When became apparent that she would not Gabrielle broke the silence.
"A dinar for your thoughts."
Startled by the sound of Gabrielle's voice Xena turned her head quickly to see an amused expression in the eyes of her companion. The warrior turned her head away just as quickly so as not to give the blonde a chance to see the redness in her face. Xena gathered herself and turned back.
"By the Gods, look who's up! I thought you would sleep 'til mid-day."
"Well?"
"Well, what?" Xena replied.
"What were thinking about?"
Xena could feel one of Gabrielle's' inquisitions coming on.
"I was thinking of how famished I am."
"Xena. Don't change the subject!"
"Gabrielle, I'm not. I was thinking about eating." *True enough.* was Xena's private thought.
Gabrielle decided not to pursue the discussion any further. If there was one thing she was sure of it was that you couldn't get Xena to talk if she didn't want to. Instead she rose stretched and took in the fresh air with a deep inhale. She realized then that she too was famished! She went to the packs to see what, if anything, she could find to fix for breakfast.
"Uh, Xena?"
Xena smirked and replied, "Uh, yeah?"
"Do you realize that we are out of almost everything?"
" Yes Gabrielle, I noticed that. I am taking Argo into town to get us some more provisions. If I leave now I will be back before nightfall."
"Why don't we both go and we can forage on the way. We can live a couple more days like this."
"I am more concerned with the "nature" of the town than running out of food. I haven't been there in a while and I have heard both good and bad of it. I would rather go get us a few supplies and check things out at the same time. If we are going to stay there I want to know what happens "around town". I would really prefer that you stay here and keep an eye on things, and I think you could use the rest." Xena gazed at Gabrielle with great tenderness knowing that Gabrielle was tired whether she wanted to admit it or not.
The bard knew that this was Xena's protective side springing forth. She wasn't being condescending just overprotective. On another occasion she might have tried to badger Xena into changing her mind, but she decided that a little time alone to write could be a welcome change.
"Fine. Go have your little warrior fun while I stay here and tend to things at "home". A sidekick's work is never done."
Xena smiled at this and touched Gabrielle's shoulder. "I'll be back before you know it." This said she mounted Argo, turned her and took off at breakneck speed.
Gabrielle shook her head and smiled. She enjoyed few things more than watching Xena fly on Argo. Knowing her own joy was from the fact that Xena enjoyed the flying.
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Speed was one of the many things that exhilarated Xena. The wind rushing up to her unafraid of the confrontation with this mighty warrior princess. The elements were the only things that had no fear. Even the Gods had some fear. Mostly of losing power, losing face or losing a battle. But the elements had no equal. Wind. Fire. Water. Earth. Against these none could stand. As Xena rode she became one with the wind she respected. The wind, also, seemed to have a cleansing effect on her. It was not a physical cleansing but a cleansing in her mind and her soul. She had felt like exploding the past few days and this was a chance to unleash some of that pent-up frustration.
Frustration was putting it mildly. Her growing affection toward Gabrielle was beginning to become almost overwhelming. She knew she was in love with her. She just wasn't sure of how Gabrielle felt about her. Certainly she had no idea as to the thoughts that had occupied Xena's mind just that morning. "God's if she had any clue about what I was thinking this morning, she would die blushing!"
Xena loved the fact that she and Gabrielle slept together most of the time now. She seemed to live for the time of day when she could just gather Gab into her arms and hold her. The smell of her skin and hair was like a tonic. It was the most replenishing sleep she had ever had. The more she thought about it the more she came to comprehend the magnitude of these emotions. "I have either got to tell her and suffer the consequences or let this eat me alive." That last notion brought an entire onslaught of new and disturbing thoughts with which to fill her mind on this ride. "Ya know, I was going to clear my head and it's only gotten worse now that I'm away from her. What if she rejects me? What if I tell her and she wants to leave? But I'm Xena. No one rejects me. But what if?.. Oh BY THE GODS!!! HAAAA!" And she egged Argo to pick up the pace.
If she rode fast enough these thoughts would just blow away. "Yeah, right." was sarcastic remark to the notion.
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Gabrielle watched Xena for as long as she could see her. She was so fascinated with the way the warriors' body moved with such grace. It filled her with a feeling she could not quite comprehend. It wasn't really pride, although standing aside and watching Xena at times made her puff up. No these feelings were different than that. She loved Xena with all of her heart and couldn't imagine life without her. But then, they both knew there was a bond of friendship between them that went deeper than life itself. Gabrielle would die for Xena and Xena for her. These were all unspoken facts of their relationship. "Maybe if I write this all down I'll understand it better." It seemed she was, at times, more able to write her emotions out than try to figure them out in her head.
"But, first things first." she said aloud to no one in particular.
She was still hungry and there really was not much in way of food in the one pack that Xena had left with her. There was some dried meat, a small lump of cheese and one very sorry excuse for an apple.
"Time to play hunter gatherer." she mumbled to her self. The forest around her was full of food if one knew where to look. Fruits and nuts were a fine way to start the day anyway.
"No need to go off killing things if you don't have to. Unlike Some People I Know." She smiled at her own Xena ribbing even though Xena wasn't there to play along. Suddenly she wished very much that the warrior were there. "Hurry back." It was almost a plea.
After she foraged, ate and wrote a few lines, she began to tidy up the camp a bit. Her thoughts were not much clearer than they had been before but she had written a few new lines to an old story. Rolling up the blankets last, she was stopped in mid-fold by a smell so familiar it touched her heart. She pulled the blanket up to her face and took a long draw. The scent was Xena. Gabrielle at that moment ached to be back in the folds of Xena's strong and gentle embrace.
"What's happening to me?!"
Her thought was interrupted by the sound of a rustling in the bushes.
"Who's there?" Gabrielle moved smartly to her staff and with expertise brought it to the ready. There was no answer.
"Xena? Is that you?" All was quiet again. "Must have been some animal." Within the split second of finishing this thought three unkempt men jumped out at Gabrielle.
"Well, well what little thing have we here?" the dirtiest of the three growled.
"Well, not what you think!" was Gabrielle's reply. She didn't really know what they thought but she was quite sure their thoughts did NOT run even remotely close together.
"Girlie, a well fed thing like you has got to have some money somewhere."
"I don't have any money and I am close to being out of food."
"We'll just see what you do have." They all laughed and leered at this comment. They all pulled their weapons and started to come at Gabrielle.
She had been trained well in the use of her weapon of choice and Xena had taught her not to give in to her fear but to use the heightened awareness that it gave. As the first man swung his sword at Gabrielle she blocked it aside and swung the staff around with such force that the head blow lifted him off his feet and flung him back 10 paces. Seeing that she was not the easy mark they had anticipated, the two standing men began to circle around to get Gab between them. Knowing that she did not want to be in the center of a rogue sandwich, Gabrielle backed away from them waiting to let them take the offensive. She didn't notice that she was backing into the man she had just laid out. As she tripped the men saw the advantage they were looking for and took it. They leapt at Gabrielle as she went down. She still had her wits about her enough to raise her staff and push it forward. As luck would have it the staff hit one of the men squarely on the throat and sent him gagging. As she hit the ground Gabrielle rolled to avoid the last leaping man. Launching quickly to her feet Gabrielle took the staff, still in her hands, and whacked the last man unconscious. Still breathing hard she began to relax her stance when out from the brush came a man, not a giant, but a huge muscled monster of a man. He was nearly 8 feet in height with more muscles than Gab had seen on the strong men in the traveling circuses. With a menacing glare he chilled Gabrielle to the very core of her being. She had seen true evil before, but never in human form. It had always been half-human or not human at all. She had seen warlords and murderers. She had witnessed men torturing children in the name of religion. She had even carried evil inside of her. But never in her life of seeing evil, and what it could cause men to do, had she ever seen evil walk as a man.
As he walked toward her she realized that she was most likely going to die. If she was dying today she was going out fighting. She screamed her best Xena scream and propelled her small frame directly at this beast of a man. With one flick of his massive hand he knocked Gabrielle aside with a stroke that sent her reeling to the ground. Shaking off the dizziness she was suffering she got to her feet. The man looked at her without passion or emotion. He did not care that he had injured her nor did it appear that he was angered by her in any way. He showed absolutely no emotion. She decided then that she was mad! She would have passion enough for the both of them! Still holding her staff she began to circle him. Still impassive he watched her. No time would ever be the right time to attack so she sprung again and again he struck her down like a gnat. She knew that he had swung harder this time. He had opened a gash on her forehead with the force of the blow and blood was dripping into her eyes. She got once again to her feet. She staggered a bit but stood. Wiping her eyes she looked around for a way of escape.
The other men were starting to come around and stand up. They began to move toward Gabrielle. As they did so they were motioned to back away by the huge monster-man. This one simple action put such fear in Gabrielle that she started to panic. "This man doesn't want me dead. He wants more." Her thoughts now were to flight. She sprinted to the edge of the clearing. Just as she reached the tree line she was grabbed from behind and hauled back kicking and screaming. She was unceremoniously dropped to the ground in front of the evil man. One of the others kicked her in the back from behind. The pain seared down her legs to her knees and she screamed in agony. The muscled behemoth then slapped her across the face knocking her unconscious. Groggily she came to with this evil man right in her face. As she lay there he violently ripped off her shift. Even with her half-naked he stared with the same dispassion as before.
She wished she were dead. She tried to struggle but the pain in her head was too much. She tried to scream but the words were mixed with blood. And when the violation came she screamed with her soul the only thing she could, "XEEEENAAAA!!"
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Xena reached the town before mid-day. Considering the late start she was quite pleased with the quick trip it had turned into. She left Argo at the stable and began to stroll to the center of town. She hadn't eaten before she left, "You can't eat what you don't have." and decided food was her first order of business. She found a vendor in the square selling meat combined with various vegetables grilled on a skewer. "What a novel idea. What will they think of next!" She marveled. She ate quite a few of these unique tid-bits, paid the man and moved on.
She wanted to find the town alchemist. Gabrielle liked to play healer and was actually getting quite good at it. Xena decided to pick up some of the more exotic herbs that she and Gabrielle couldn't find in the nearby forests. She strolled in to the nearest inn to inquire of the innkeeper where she might find one. She entered and strolled to the bar.
"What'll it be?" the barkeep inquired gruffly.
"I am looking for the alchemist. Can you tell me where I might find him?"
"Her." Came a voice from behind her.
Xena turned to see who had spoken. "I beg your pardon?"
A woman seated at one of the tables she had passed on the way in had answered her.
"Her. You asked to see him. Him isn't a him, he's a her."
"Oh. Well, then where may I find HER?" Xena smiled in spite of herself. She of all people should know not to assume the gender of a person by their profession.
"Ya found her. That's me."
"That was easy. Do you mind if I join you?"
The woman made a positive nod directing Xena to the table. Xena sat down across from her. She was an odd looking woman. She was several years older than Xena but how many was hard to say. Bright red hair hung down across her eyes in a mass of curls. Her eyes, framed perfectly by the flow of her hair, were bright and full of life. They were of a green that was hard to describe. Seafoam-green was the closest Xena could come to describing it. The color of the waves just as they broke and became a translucent green color. "Remarkable." Was Xena's thought.
"Bargus! Bring us another"
Xena waved him off and said, "My schedule won't allow me to indulge."
"Not for you! For me!"
Xena smiled in spite of herself. She liked this woman for some odd reason. Xena didn't know her but there was a familiarity about her that put her at ease.
"So! Why is a leather bound warrior woman lookin' for an alchemist?" the
redhead inquired.
"I am looking to find some herbs for my friend to add to her collection.
"Why isn't your friend here to get 'em his self?"
"Her self." She smiled at the irony. "Well, I left her this mor?. Is this important information?"
"Not really. Just nosy I guess. I am Arthenia; my friends call me Artie. Nice to meet ya."
"I'm Xena. My friends call me?. Xena," she said with a smile. "Pleased to meet you as well."
"Where is your friend. Out shopping?"
"No. I came to town alone. She is a few miles out at our site. I left her there to get some rest and I am hoping she is taking the opportunity to do it. If I know Gabrielle, however, she has found some kind of trouble to get into." She laughed at this but Xena was suddenly worried about her. "Stop worrying. She's fine.", she thought to herself.
Artie saw the look of concern flash across Xena's face. "I think we can find what you are looking for in a hurry so you can get back to your, uh, friend. Let's go upstairs and see what we can find for her and you can be on your way."
They got up from the table and made their way to the stairs.
"So you do business here?" Xena inquired.
"Not really. I own the place. I just happen to be the town healer too. Convenient really. They come in with their troubles. I listen, pour drinks and try to heal their lives. They come in broken, I listen, give them medicine and try to heal their bodies. They come in tired, I give them a room and let them take care of themselves for a change." They both laughed at this last comment.
They came to a good size room on the third floor. It was unusual to have more than two floors but this was off set and not a full floor. It had a balcony overlooking the town center and was high enough to look out to the ocean.
"What a wonderful view! How peaceful."
"Great ain't it? The floor below has a room where the sun shines right through the window on to the bed at sunset. That is a spectacular sight. It really only happens in the spring though. Wrong time of year now."
"Maybe we'll be back next??." Xena stopped in mid-sentence. "Gabrielle." She whispered.
"Something wrong Xena?"
" I have to go! Something is wrong. Something has happened to Gabrielle."
"How can you tell that from here?"
"I don't know but I have to go NOW!" and Xena bolted out the door and flew down the stairs missing most of them.
Artie watched her leave knowing that she would be back with the companion that she knew Xena loved and would die without. She said a silent prayer, "By the Gods. I know what it is like to live life without the woman you love by your side. Don't you take that Gabrielle and let it happen to this poor creature, too."
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Xena flew to the stables and found Argo. She didn't even take the time to saddle her. She leapt on to her trusted steeds back and cried, "GO ARGO! And don't stop until we get to Gabrielle!!"
With that said Argo sped off faster than she had probably ever gone in her life. She had been in battle many times with her mistress and knew her every emotion. This was one she had never felt. She sensed, though, that this was perhaps the most important ride of her life and she would do her masters bidding. If this meant her own death then so be it. She would get Xena to Gabrielle's side come Hades himself.
Xena rode with only one thought. Find Gabrielle. She felt that something was horribly wrong. She hope that she wasn't right and that she had let her imagination run away with her. But with a sick knowledge she knew she was right. She had felt Gabrielle scream in agony and despair. How she could feel her she wasn't about to ask and she didn't really care.
Argo ran and kept running. Like Xena, she was a tireless warrior.
It was dark when Xena and Argo reached the clearing. There was no fire and it was deadly quiet. Xena drew her sword and dismounted. She stood statue still and listened for signs of movement. There was nothing. Then a small, almost inaudible, moan came forth.
"Gabrielle! I'm here! I can't see you. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on." Xena was searching for her by the sound of her breathing.
And then Xena saw her. A tiny form curled up in a ball so tight it looked painful. She saw that her companion had been beaten badly and her clothes were torn.
"Oh Gods. Gabrielle." Xena ran to her and was careful with her movements. If Gab was as bad as she thought she might make it worse by quick movements. She cradled her in her arms and looked at her wounds. They were bad but she had seen others not as strong that had suffered worse in the past. From what Xena could see she would recover.
Gabrielle opened the eye that wasn't swollen shut. "Xena?"
"Yes Gabrielle. I'm here. I'm here. I have you." Xena was crying in relief seeing that Gab was alive and talking. "Don't speak. I need to get you warm and cleaned up."
She walked over and picked up the folded blankets. She gently covered Gabrielle up and started a fire. She heated some water and began to clean the small woman's wounds. Gabrielle was still cold and going in and out of consciousness. Xena needed to move her closer to the fire if she was to keep her from getting the cold sickness. Carefully she lifted Gabrielle up into her arms and began to carry her to the fire. As she did so the blanket that was covering Gabrielle fell to the ground. Xena saw a stream of blood dripping down the inside of Gabrielle's thigh to her knees. She gazed in confusion as to where the blood was running from and then it hit her like a sledgehammer. Xena could barely stand. She felt as if the whole world had begun to spin out of control. Her legs gave way and she fell to her knees still holding Gabrielle in her arms and she wailed with a primal scream.
It seemed like hours before she could breath or even try to let go of Gabrielle. She wanted to hold her forever in hopes that it would undo the horrid wrong that had been done to this woman she called her life.
She lay Gabrielle down by the fire and covered her with the fallen blanket all the while her tears falling on Gabrielle's face.
She walked a slight distance away and began to pace like a caged animal.
Finally she began to speak and then to wail "No. No. Not my Gabrielle! Ah Gabrielle No. NO! NOOOOOO!!!!! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD! I'LL CUT YOUR THROAT AND USE YOUR SKULL FOR MY BREAKFAST. I SWEAR AN OATH WITH MY BLOOD THAT I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS." With that Xena took out her dagger and cut a swift slice across her palm letting the blood spill to the ground and mix with the tears that refused to stop falling.
Xena knew that she had to get Gabrielle to the healer. She was still bleeding and her pulse was starting to weaken. She and Argo had ridden hard to get to Gabrielle and it was time for one more ride. She hated to ask her golden mare for anything more this night but if Gabrielle had any chance for survival it was getting smaller with the passage of time. Xena wrapped Gabrielle in a fur that Gab liked to wear. She felt a deep trembling as Gabrielle slipped into consciousness one more time. She gathered the injured bard into her arms and mounted Argo.
"Xena?" Her voice was so small and weak it tugged at Xena's soul.
"Yes, love. I'm here." She laid a soft kiss on Gabrielle's head. The term of endearment was lost on Gabrielle.
"I tried. I tried so hard. I fought and kicked and ran and it didn't matter. It didn't matter." She began to cry tears that stung the cuts on her face.
Xena's heart began to break so deeply that she wasn't sure it would ever recover.
"Shhhh, Gabrielle. Hush now. You're going to be fine. It's O.K." She tenderly rocked Gabrielle and knew things were a long way from being fine and they may not be fine for a very long time.
"I should never have left her alone. This is all my fault. If I had been here instead of playing the "poor me"" game we would be eating the evening meal right now or talking by the fire. But noooo, 'ol Xena here has to get away from it all. What in the name of the Gods was I thinking?" Her thoughts began a long steady road to torment.
The ride was uneventful if not filled with agony. The three reached town just as the sun was peaking over the horizon. . Xena rode directly to the tavern/inn of the red headed healer named Artie. She had been waiting for them, all night by the looks of her eyes.
"Take her up to the second floor, Xena. First door on your right. I'll have Bargus tend to your horse."
Xena did as she was instructed. The room was especially warm and well lit. There was a fire going with water heating above the flames. There were several herb bottles that lay on the stand beside the bed. Clean cloths were stacked on the stand with the bottles. There were some instruments there also but Xena didn't recognize them.
Xena removed the wrap from around Gabrielle and carefully put her on the bed.
She looked awful. The cut above her eye was deep but at least it had stopped bleeding. The entire left side of her face was unrecognizable. The swelling would go down in a couple of days.
Xena began to unlace Gabrielle's boots and top. Her poor body was bruised in spots that Xena didn't even know Gab had.
What caught her undivided attention was a bruise on Gabrielle's thigh that was in the shape of a handprint. This was no ordinary hand. It was huge. Xena put her own hand up to compare the size. She put both hands up to see if she could cover the span. She could not.
In shock she began to grasp the gravity the horror that the small woman had had committed on her. She knew that Gabrielle had more serious injuries than even she had imagined.
Artie entered the room with a serious attitude. Nothing like she had appeared the day before. But then things were NOT like they had been the previous day. The world had been shattered and it was up to a healer in a little town to put it back together. Xena trusted with her gut that this woman, if any, was the one that could do that.
Artie spoke with authority, "Warrior, if you're going to stay I'm going to put you to work."
Xena began to reply but Artie waved a hand to silence her.
"I know that you have seen and battles and many injuries worse than this, but those people weren't her. You weren't in love them. This will be harder than anything you could imagine."
Xena wasn't going to ask how Artie knew of the love she had for Gabrielle she just replied, "I can't leave her side right now. I will do what ever you need." The answer sounded brave but Xena was scared to death. She could not begin to fathom a life without the lilting laughter and kind heart of her beloved.
"Alright, let's see what we have here." Artie began to expertly explore the wounds that Gabrielle had sustained. "She is unconscious and we need to keep her that way for what we need to do."
"What's that?" Xena needed to know but was afraid of the answer.
"She needs to be stitched up inside. If we don't she might bleed to death. We could try to pack the tears and hope that the bleeding stops but she has lost so much blood already I don't think it's a risk worth taking." Artie wanted to make sure Xena knew the options.
Xena drew a deep breath and nodded in agreement. "What do you need me to do?"
"First I need all the light we can get and I will need you to be my assistant. Open the shutters and help me move the bed into the light."
Xena complied with the woman's request moving the bed slowly so that Gabrielle would not be disturbed.
"I am not going to let you watch what I am doing. You need to trust that I am doing the right things. You will have to keep a finger on her pulse a to make sure she's still alive and you will be handing me things as I need them. O.K.?" Artie looked at the warrior and saw the look of pain in her eyes and thought. "She is trying to tough this out. That's good I need her tough!"
The healer sat at the foot of the bed. Gabrielle was directly in front of her with her hips tilted up. She gave instructions to Xena, "Hand me the bottle marked Papaveraceae"
Xena looked a minute and then handed the container to the healer. She knew most of the herbs known to man and how to use them, but this name didn't ring a bell. "What is it?" she asked.
"Poppy capsule. We have to kill the pain before we do any thing."
"OPIUM?" Now Xena wasn't sure that Artie knew what she was doing. "I don't like?."
She was interrupted. "If you want this girl well you'll listen and don't argue! She isn't going to smoke it. I'll make a poultice that will deaden the pain. It may get into her blood stream. That's why you need to keep an eye on her pulse. "
Xena was quiet now but wary. She watched with great concern.
Artie crushed the small bulb in a bowl with some other herbs Xena thought were clove and purple sage. One was for the pain and one for an antiseptic. She added a small amount of water and with some of the gauze made a small pack. She placed it inside of Gabrielle and waited. She reached to the table and picked up an instrument that was long and round in shape and looked menacing.
Xena was going to ask the red headed woman what it was for but thought better of it. Artie was in another state of mind right now and the warrior knew about the importance of focus. Besides that she didn't think she really wanted to know.
Xena saw where Artie was putting the device and couldn't watch. She bowed her head looked into the face of her beloved companion and prayed to whatever gods would come to her tormented mind.
Artie worked with dogged determination. This was the difficult part and she concentrated on repairing the damage that had been done.
Fine needle and thread were the tools she used to proffer her ministrations on Gabrielle's body but it was her soul that had the healer worried. As she worked her mind would not rest. She had no control over what the warrior woman would do but she knew the type. She would revenge this attack. Artie wasn't sure if that would be in the best interest of the young woman. Gabrielle would need Xena to stay with her while she healed but Artie knew that wouldn't happen. The trail would grow cold if Xena didn't leave soon. If she left she wouldn't be back until the job was done or she was dead. "God's help us." She sighed with a heavy sigh and continued her work.
The healer leaned back after what seemed like days and stretched. Xena had been handing her cloths, towels and needles in a dazed state. Artie thought she was in shock.
"Xena? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." It was a cold hard response and Artie knew the Warrior Princess had returned.
The End Part One
Continued...
©Kandis Glasgow 1998