Little Bard: Chapter 4
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The ride to the town was uneventful, so Xena took the opportunity to have that promised long discussion. She carefully reminded Gabrielle about the importance of her rules, emphasizing not wondering off, staying put when told to do so, and the need to follow her orders immediately and without question. It wasn't an easy conversation, as Xena had to fight her naturally gruff manner. She was use to giving orders and having them obeyed, but over the years she had come to understand Gabrielle. She knew that, at least the adult version, the bard would respond much better if she used logic and reasoning in her argument. The warrior had learned at long time ago that "because I said so" didn't fly very well with the bard.
So, in a great exercise of patience and self-control, Xena skillfully explained why Gabrielle must listen to her. She tried to hit the right balance - not wanting to scare Gabrielle, but at the same time giving her enough information to understand the dangers. She was careful to stress the hazards of the road and explained how dangerous it was to be traveling as they did.
Once satisfied that Gabrielle understood her points they had spent the rest of the time in idle conversation. Idle for Xena and conversation for Gabrielle, as the little bard whole-heartily indulged her need to constantly hear her own voice. Xena promptly tuned her out, using some of her many skills to insert the appropriate 'yeah,' or 'mmhmm' as required. It was almost like old times.
Even with the constant chatter, the time flew by quickly and before they knew it they had arrived at their destination, the not-so-sleepy village of Neapolis. Xena ignored the looks as she rode into town. It was inevitable that someone would recognize her, or at least be wary of her. There weren't too many women who chose the warrior lifestyle, and those that did usually meant trouble. Studying the layout of the town, Xena noticed that it had grown since she'd been there last -a good twelve or thirteen years ago- but then that was also a lifetime ago. At the time, the town had been a tiny little village, too small for Xena's budding army to concern itself with, so they had passed it by in favor of more profitable targets.
It didn't take Xena long to locate a stable, where she made sure Argo was taken care of, and then locate the inn to care for herself and Gabrielle. Xena struck up a conversation with the inn-keeper, deciding he was trustworthy enough from the way he ran his establishment. It was clean and fairly priced. The food too, turned out to be decent, and the mead she ordered wasn't overly watered down. Deciding she made a good choice for the evening she settled Gabrielle and herself down at a corner table where they were both enjoying their first decent meal in days.
Gabrielle was devouring her second bowl of stew when the inn door suddenly burst open. "Syrus!" a sandy-haired man in his early twenties yelled, "Quick! Darnan and his crew are back. They have reinforcements this time, at least a dozen men."
The inn-keeper cursed, throwing a towel down on an empty table. "Damn fool. Gather the boys, Dion, and be quick about it. We need to avoid them doing any damage, like last time."
As the young man nodded and ran back out the door, the inn-keeper made his way around the bar and retrieved an old, worn sword. Just as he turned to follow Dion, Xena stopped him.
"Perhaps I can help. Who is this Darnan?"
"The leader of a group of local thugs. They've been raiding the town, extorting money from the merchants. Already wrecked three shops this month, I'm not going to let them get a forth," Syrus answered. "We would welcome the help. What did you say your name was?"
"Xena."
The inn-keepers eyes went wide. "Now look, we don't want any trouble…"
Xena raised an eyebrow, but before she could reply, Gabrielle beat her too it. The little girl stood up, and was throwing jade-colored eye-daggers at the inn-keeper. "Look here, Mister. If Xena says she'll help… that's exactly what she'll do. You'll be smart to listen to her too. She knows what she is doing."
Syrus blinked, surprised by the outburst and the sheer gall coming from the little girl. "Alright, we could use the help, but this better not be a trick."
Xena narrowed her eyes, but nodded her consent. "Let's go." Then she turned to Gabrielle, noticing the little girl had begun to follow her. "No, you stay here."
"Xena!" Gabrielle protested. "How am I supposed to help from in here?"
"Not this time. Promise me you'll stay in here."
Gabrielle frowned.
"Remember our talk earlier?" Xena pressed. "No questions, you stay where I tell you to stay."
The little girl crossed her arms in a pout, but relented, "Alright, I'll stay."
Xena smiled and rewarded the bard with a quick kiss to the forehead before she followed the inn-keeper out the door.
Watching the warrior go, Gabrielle sighed. "I hate it when she does that."
"Does what?" a voice asked.
Gabrielle looked up, seeing a teenage girl. The girl held out her hand, "Hi. My name in Venita."
"Gabrielle," the bard returned, accepting the greeting and grasping the teen's forearm. She wrinkled her forehead; there was something about the girl. Her high cheek bones and grey-blue eyes were friendly, almost familiar.
"Who was that warrior woman anyways?" Venita asked, pulling Gabrielle from her thoughts. "She doesn't look enough like you to be your mom. She some kinda guardian or something?"
"No," Gabrielle responded, still in her pouting mode.
"Hey, you're not some kind of princess who needs a tall, dark, and deadly bodyguard, are you?" the girl teased, with a wink
"No," Gabrielle shook her head, suddenly feeling a strange tingling feeling on her forehead. For some reason what Venita had just said was making her feel uneasy. "Xena…she's my friend. My best friend."
"Ah, it must be nice to have a friend like that," Venita commented as she sat down on the bench across from Gabrielle.
"Yeah," Gabrielle returned before tensing as she heard Xena's high-pitched battle cry followed by the distinct sound of swords crashing. The little bard glanced toward the door, getting the odd feeling like something was missing. "This doesn't feel right. I should be out there with her."
"And Xena didn't go for that, huh?" Venita teased. "What do you expect? You're just a kid. She wanted you to stay safe and sound in here."
Gabrielle nodded her head, the girl's teasing not helping her mood. "I promised I wouldn't follow her outside."
"Oh, yeah? But she didn't say you couldn't watch from in here… did she?"
"No, but…"
"I happen to know if little room up on the third floor that has a perfect view of the street," Venita offered.
Gabrielle grinned. "Show me."
Xena stayed in the background as Syrus confronted Darnan and his gang. As she watched, she wasn't surprised to see that the whole gang consisted of extremely young men, many of them still teenagers. Although well-muscled and a half a head taller than her, even Darnan himself wasn't much older, perhaps in his mid-twenties. Xena narrowed her eyes as she realized that she recognized the man standing to the left of Darnan. He was the first one that she had knocked unconscious earlier that morning, and he was sporting double black eyes to prove it. Scanning the rest of the group she recognized three more men, which meant there were at least two more unaccounted for.
"What do you want this time, Darnan?" Syrus called out.
"We'll go easy on you this time, old man. Turn over the warrior woman. She attacked some my men this morning, and I want her," Darnan answered as he pulled his sword and glared in Xena's direction.
Syrus looked uneasy. He glanced back toward Xena, but before he had a chance to respond, she stepped forward. "Really, Darnan, I'm surprised. Either you are an idiot, or your men are. I'm not sure what they told you, but think about it, do you really want to challenge me?"
Darnan answered by charging. With a yell he rushed forward, sword poised to strike. Xena waited until the last possible moment, side stepping the strike, but using her foot to trip Darnan. He ended up with a face full of dirt for his efforts.
She watched him go down, raising an eyebrow in amusement. He wasn't as entertained. He slowly stood, and turned back toward her. Wiping the dirt from his face, he yelled, "Attack!"
Xena didn't hesitate, with a quick battle yell she launched herself in the air, flipping over the flood of men that rushed toward her. She drew her sword as the men abruptly changed directions and headed toward her and away from the crowd of villagers.
She couldn't help but join the villagers as they cheered Xena's on. After a few minutes, and several well placed kicks and punches, the gang was successfully rendered harmless. They had been thrown all over the village square, where they lay in various states of consciousness and pain.
Xena wasted no time as she grabbed the semi-conscious Darnan by the collar and hauled him back to his feet. She then turned, addressing Syrus. Gabrielle couldn't make out what she was saying, but was suddenly distracted by movement. In the shadows across the street there was a man, and she was getting a very bad feeling about the way he seemed to be hiding. He moved again, pulling up a crossbow.
The hair stood up on the back of her neck as she realized he was aiming for Xena. She didn't think as she reacted and yelled a warning.
Xena's eyes flicked up to the window, and then she suddenly turned, using Darnan as a human shield to catch the arrow. The man grunted, his own weight collapsing under him as the arrow entered his thigh. Xena struggled under the sudden weight, but was able to shoot off her chakram. The weapon bounced twice before severing the string on the bow, and lodging itself into the chest of the bow's owner.
Xena looked back up at the window with narrowed eyes, giving Gabrielle a look that made her very uneasy. Gabrielle gulped, ducking down, and only letting her eyes peer over the sill as Xena attention turned back toward Darnan.
"She's upset with me," Gabrielle moaned, hoping to find some sympathy from her new friend. Not getting a response she looked into the room, only to find it empty. Confused, and suddenly feeling alone, Gabrielle sniffled. She was torn between being angry and frightened. She had just saved Xena's life, yet the warrior was upset with her. It didn't seem fair, and she just hoped she had the courage to tell that to Xena once the warrior confronted her.
Little Bard: Chapter 5
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After a quick retrieval of her chakram, Xena left the villagers to deal with the aftermath of the rest of the gang as she, Syrus, and two others, helped carry Darnan into the inn. They laid him on a table as Xena began work on the wound. There was a lot of blood, and even though she's used a pressure point to lessen the flow, she knew the wound was very serious. The arrow had penetrated a major artery, and she knew if she didn't work quickly he could very well die from the loss of blood.
While Xena worked, Gabrielle was making her way back down the stairs. Xena seemed to sense her presence as two ice-blue-diamonds suddenly stopped the bard cold in her tracks.
"Stay right there, Gabrielle," Xena ordered. "Don't come any closer."
Gabrielle's lip started to tremble, but she managed to avoid the accompanying tears by biting down hard, and letting her anger override the feeling of rejection. Xena was doing it again; refusing to let her help. She felt useless, confused, and worse of all alone. Xena had told her they were partners, but the warrior wasn't acting like it. She was treating her like a kid, but then what did she really expect, she was a kid.
"Hey," a familiar voice suddenly whispered in Gabrielle's ear.
Gabrielle jumped, started by the voice. "What are you doing? Where did you go?" she asked, turning to Venita, who had found a seat a couple of steps above her.
The teenager shrugged. "I had stuff to do, and besides you seemed to have everything under control."
"Xena's mad at me," Gabrielle frowned, looking back toward the warrior.
"I'm not so sure about that, little one. You have to give Xena more credit than that. She loves you, you know."
"She has a funny way of showing it," Gabrielle grumbled.
"I know," Venita returned with a grin. "Just have a little faith in Xena, ok?"
Gabrielle was quiet for a long moment, before she looked back up over her shoulder. For some reason, she wasn't really surprised to see that Venita had left again.
"Who were you talking too?" Xena asked.
Gabrielle snapped her head back around, surprised to see Xena standing in front of her. She narrowed her eyes before answering, "Nobody."
Xena raised an eyebrow, she'd distinctly heard Gabrielle's voice, and it didn't sound like she was just talking to herself. She'd also seen someone else was in the room when Gabrielle was by the window earlier. She couldn't make out the identity of the individual; just catching a shadow out of the corner of her eye, but it someone was there, she was sure of it. "Come on, I want to get cleaned up. Syrus is filling a tub for us."
Xena frowned, watching the clear discomfort that Gabrielle was in. She wasn't good at this emotional stuff, but she was worried about the little bard, and knew that she'd eventually have to confront her. For the moment though, she'd give them both a little space. Gabrielle had always been emotional, and perhaps she'd work through whatever was bothering her on her own. In the meantime she busied herself with her usual routine. She carefully cleaned off any blood or dirt from her leathers, armor, and weapons, but also kept a close eye on the child. She knew she wasn't asleep. Even the adult Gabrielle couldn't lay still for more than a few minutes unless she really was asleep.
Once she was finished, she put aside her sword and chakram, and crossed the room. Crawling into the bed, she didn't bother with asking permission and just pulled Gabrielle next to her. She wrapped one arm around the little girl's waist and used the other to brush a lock of stray hair off the bard's face. Xena didn't know what so say, so she just lay quietly, and held the child. It didn't take long. With the touch Gabrielle started to shake, and tears finally began to fall.
"Hey," Xena soothed, as she hugged the child closer and placed a kiss on her head. "You don't need to cry. It's ok."
"Are you still mad at me?" Gabrielle managed to get out between sniffles.
"Why would I be mad at you?" Xena asked, slightly sitting up so she could see Gabrielle's face.
Gabrielle turned around. "When you looked up at the window, you gave me that look."
"That look?" Xena echoed, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
The little bard nodded somberly. "Yeah, you know. When you narrow your eyes, and stare me, and make my insides feel all mushy. That's how I know you're disappointed in me." Gabrielle looked down at her hands fidgeting a moment before she continued. "And then you wouldn't let me help with the guy that got shot. You told me to stay on the stairs."
Xena sat up all the way. "When I looked up at the window, I wasn't looking at you, but trying to see who was with you. And that wound was pretty nasty; I didn't think you needed to see it." After pausing for a moment, and not getting an answer other than a frown from Gabrielle, Xena continued, "Gabrielle, up in the room, who was with you?"
Gabrielle wrinkled her nose, as if debating her answer, but was cut off as Xena playfully tapped the end of it. "And don't you dare tell me 'nobody' again."
Both of Gabrielle's eyebrows rose as she caught on to the mischief in Xena's tone. "Oh? And what if I did?"
"You forget, little girl," Xena paused, "I know a lot about you…" she paused again teasing as she wiggled her fingers, "…including that you just happen to be very ticklish."
"You wouldn't," Gabrielle gulped.
Xena smiled, in that feral way that only the Warrior Princess could, before she wiggled her fingers once more and pounced on the young bard.
Gabrielle let out a squeal of laughter, trying in vain to escape Xena's assault. The warrior however, would have none of it, and pursued the bard without mercy.
"Alright, alright," Gabrielle finally panted. "I give. I'll tell ya."
"Spill it," Xena ordered, wigging the offending fingers in a threateningly manner.
"She was just a friend I made. She showed me the window," Gabrielle quickly blurted out. "Venita was the one I was talking to on the stairs too."
Xena raised an eyebrow, pulling back and letting Gabrielle catch her breath. "Venita? Where did she go? I didn't see anyone else on the stairs."
"I don't know," Gabrielle shrugged as she sat all the way up. "She sort of disappeared. She did that up in the room too."
"Did she?" Xena narrowed her eyes, suddenly getting a bad feeling about Gabrielle's 'friend.' "What did this friend look like?"
"Nothing really special. She was older than me and was wearing a pink dress. She had light almost white-blonde hair, oh, and had really pretty blue-grey eyes," Gabrielle answered, suddenly confused as Xena rose from the bed and started to pace the room.
Xena walked back and forth several times, mumbling under her breath until she suddenly stopped and yelled, "Aphrodite!" She then waited for several moments. Not getting a response, she yelled out again. "Aphrodite, you show your sorry-ass right this minute, or I swear I'll trash every one of your temples all the way from here to Potidaea!"
In a sudden burst of pink light the goddess appeared, arms crossed and looking rather irritated. "Really Xena, you don't have to be so extreme," she scolded.
Xena's eye twitched as she pointed at Gabrielle. "Are you responsible for this?"
"That depends on what you are referring to…"
"Don't play games with me Aphrodite. Are you responsible for turning Gabrielle into a child?"
"Yes and no."
Xena squeezed both of her fists into balls, resisting the urge to strangle the goddess. "Care to explain that?" Xena managed to get out between clenched teeth.
The goddess crossed the room and sat down next to the confused little bard. Gabrielle had pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around them. She was on the verge of tears, not understanding why Xena was suddenly so mad, or why they were talking about her as she wasn't even there. She didn't refuse as Aphrodite wrapped a protective arm around her. The goddess seemed familiar, and even though Xena was obvious irritated by her, Gabrielle didn't believe that Aphrodite posed any threat to her.
"The little cutie simply made a wish. I granted it," Aphrodite explained with a quick squeeze to Gabrielle's shoulders.
"Great," Xena dripped with sarcasm, "So fix it!"
"No can do, warrior babe. It's not up to me."
"And what do you mean by that?"
"The spell can only be broken if Gabrielle's wish is fulfilled," Aphrodite explained.
"I don't understand," Gabrielle broke in, looking back and forth between the goddess and the warrior. "What do you mean turning me into a child? And what wish? I don't remember making a wish."
"Do something," Xena implored. "You can't just leave her like this."
Aphrodite frowned. "I'd break the spell if I could, but it doesn't work like that." She then turned, studying the bard intently, "Although, perhaps there is something I can do." The goddess used one hand to bring Gabrielle's face up, briefly meeting her eyes before planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Gabrielle blinked, suddenly becoming very tired as her head became fuzzy and her vision blurred. She didn't fight as she eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep.
"What did you do?" Xena asked alarmed, as Gabrielle slumped over and Aphrodite guided her head down, laying it gently on the bed.
"She's just sleeping. When she wakes up things should be better," the goddess answered, brushing the hair off the little girl's forehead. With a slight smirk, she continued, "It's really amazing what love's kiss can do." She then looked up at Xena, winked, and disappeared in a burst of pink light.
Xena rolled her eyes, before turning her attention back to the sleeping bard. "Love's kiss, huh?" she echoed, touching the spot on Gabrielle's forehead where the goddess had kissed her. "I wonder what she means by that." She shook her head and reached down, gently laying a blanket across her little bard before she added a kiss of her own to the little girl's forehead.
Little Bard: Chapter 6
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"For once I wish that Xena could just appreciate me for me, and realize that I've grown up." Gabrielle heard the words echoed in her mind. It made her uneasy and she turned away from the scene that was unfolding in front of her eyes.
"No, no. It's just a dream. Come on wake up. Gabrielle…wake up," the bard repeated the nightmarish mantra over and over again.
"Wake up, Gabrielle. Wake up," a familiar voice joined her mantra.
"Xena?" Gabrielle asked. She groaned and opened her eyes, not being able to resist a smile as she was greeted by bright blue.
"Hey, you ok?" Xena asked. "You were having a nightmare."
"Gods, Xena, it was terrible," Gabrielle started, using her hand to bush her hair off her face, and then froze. She stared at her hand for a moment and then put it next to Xena's, realizing how small it was. "No… no… no…," she cried out in panic, looking down the length of her body and realizing that the dream wasn't just a dream.
Suddenly the bard's attention was drawn away from herself as she felt Xena's strong arms encircle her. The warrior effortlessly picked her up and settled her back down on her lap. Gabrielle drew her knees up, wrapping her arms around them and tucking her head against Xena's chest. "No, no… no," Gabrielle repeated her new mantra as tears started down her cheeks. "It wasn't a dream."
"It's ok, Gabrielle. We are going to fix this. I promise," Xena reassured her.
"How?" Gabrielle demanded, suddenly feeling anger build up with in her. She pulled away from Xena, and moving across the bed, turned to face her. "You can't fix this. I'll be stuck like this forever!"
"Gabrielle…" Xena implored.
The little bard shook her head, continuing, "I understand now. It's impossible."
"Gabrielle…" Xena started again.
"Impossible," the defeated bard exclaimed again. She buried her face in her hands as a wave of helplessness flowed over her.
Xena reached out, gently touching the bard's knee. Gabrielle's head suddenly snapped back up, the touch sparking a memory. "No, oh gods, no," Gabrielle began to panic. "You were taking me home? No, please Xena. Don't take me back. I couldn't stand it there. The Amazons, yes… take me to them… Then you can be free of me…"
"Gabrielle!" Xena's deep voice cut into her thoughts. The little bard's jumped, Xena's tone scaring her into silence. She bit her lip, trying to stop it from quivering. "Let me make one thing perfectly clear," Xena continued. "I have no intention of leaving you with anyone. That includes your parents AND the Amazons."
For a long moment blue met green as Gabrielle digested Xena's words. "But you were taking me home…"
"Gabrielle," Xena sighed, her icy blue eyes melting with concern. "C'mere."
The bard paused for a moment before obeying. She scooted back across the bed allowing Xena to once again gather her in her lap, where the warrior then hugged her tightly. "I was only doing what you asked me to do. You were scared and didn't remember."
Gabrielle nodded into the warrior's chest. "I remember now. I know what happened."
Xena pulled back. "What happened? What do you remember?"
Gabrielle wrinkled her nose. "It's still fuzzy. I remember being grown up, and I remember us being together. I remember fighting next to you..."
"And Aphrodite, she said something about a wish. Do you remember about that?"
"Yes," Gabrielle shook her head, frowning, "I wished that you'd stop treating me like a kid and realize I've grown up."
Xena looked down, catching the bard's eye. "Do you really feel that way?"
Gabrielle shrugged. "If I didn't, I'd probably be taller by now."
Xena set the girl aside. She stood, and walking to the room's only window, peered out onto the street below. After a long moment she spoke again. "It's late. Are you hungry?"
Gabrielle shook her head. "Not really. Maybe I should just go to bed."
"Alright. Want me to help you change…" Xena agreed, turning back around and then stopping in midsentence, as she got an icy glare from the little bard. Xena held her hand up defensibly. "Adult, I get it. Will you'll be ok up here by yourself if I go down and check on Darnan?"
Gabrielle rolled her eyes as she rummaged through the pack that held her sleeping shift. "I'll be fine, Xena."
It was late when Xena returned to the room. She wasn't in a hurry to return, and was glad for the excuse to tend to the wounded man. She felt that Gabrielle needed some space, and to be honest, so did she. The bard's confession about the wish had thrown her off guard. Of course she knew that she was often protective of her partner, but never realized it affected Gabrielle so deeply.
The question now was what to do about it. Gabrielle as a small child was more vulnerable than ever, especially if she tried to assume her adult role. The bard was just not physically as strong or able to fight to defend herself. Maybe Gabrielle was right and they should seek out help from the Amazons. At least Gabrielle would be relatively safe inside the village.
As Xena opened the door to the room, she immediately saw that something was off. The room was empty, the bed untouched. She clenched her jaw, half in worry and half in anger. Part of her was hoping that something had happened to Gabrielle because if the bard had just wandered off again, she was going to kill her.
Xena took a moment, first surveying the room and then thoroughly checking it. She even looked inside the storage chest and under the bed, just in case the little bard had curled up and fallen asleep somewhere. With a frown, she found nothing out of the ordinary except that one of their fur-lined bedrolls was missing. Gabrielle's personal items, including a handful of scrolls and her staff were still accounted for.
She next checked the door, searching for signs that someone might have picked the lock, or forced it open, but it looked untampered with. The last thing she checked was the room's only window. Pulling back the curtain, she peered out into the darkness. The window was secure; the lock appeared to be latched, but as she let her eyes roam over the frame, she found something else. In the corner of the plane, there was a small handprint. Putting her own hand up to study it, she realized that the handprint was on the outside of the window.
With a sudden surge of fear she nearly ripped the window off its hinges, flinging it open. She quickly stuck her head out, breathing a sigh of relief to see a bundle of fur and blonde hair curled up in the corner of the faux-balcony.
The balcony itself wasn't very big, resembling more of an oversized flowerbox then anything useful. It definitely wasn't meant to support people, yet somehow the bard had managed to climb out onto it. Gabrielle's tiny body barely fit, one of her shoulders pressed against the wall of the roof, and the other the edge of the box. Xena carefully stepped through the window, cringing as the roof creaked under her weight.
"Gabrielle!" Xena called out.
The furry-blonde pile shifted, revealing a small, but sleepy bard. "Xena?"
"Stay put," Xena warned, moving the short distance across the box and then offering her hand to the bard.
Gabrielle grabbed the offered hand gladly, letting Xena pull her up and closer. The box groaned and shook under their combined weight as Xena carefully guided the bard back across, and into the window. Xena then grabbed the sill, ready to launch herself into the room, when the box suddenly gave way. The warrior lost her footing, just barely able to hang onto the sill as the box crashed down, tumbling down the sloped roof, and on to the street below.
Xena looked down, her eyes narrowing as she spotted the shattered bits of wood and fur lying across the street. Their bedroll had gone with it and would have to be retrieved. Turning her attention back to the sill she let out a small grunt as she pulled herself up and back through the window.
"Gods, Xena, are you ok?" Gabrielle cried, tying to help Xena reenter the room, but the warrior stopped her with a cold glare. Gabrielle gulped, and stepped back.
"You better have a good explanation for this," Xena warned as she pulled herself all the way in the room.
"I'm sorry," Gabrielle quickly replied, shifting uneasily under Xena's hard stare. "I just wanted a little fresh air. It was cold so I grabbed one of our furs. It got caught on the frame and the window shut. It latched itself and I couldn't open it back up."
Xena shook her head. She raised her hand; a single finger poised to begin a lecture, and then stopped herself. She let out a long slow breath. After a long pause, she met the little bard's eyes. "Are you ok?"
Gabrielle bit her lip and nodded.
"Good, then I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Gabrielle."
Gabrielle jaw dropped as Xena turned her back on her and started to remove her armor. She watched the warrior for a moment, opening and closing her mouth several times in an attempt to say something, but no words would come.
"Oh, and Gabrielle, you might want to go retrieve our fur before someone claims it. We don't really have the dinar to waste on buying a new one."
Gabrielle shook her head in disbelief. No lecture, no yelling, not even a disapproving grunt. Xena didn't even turn around when she spoke. Was Xena that angry, that she couldn't even bear the sight of her? With her eyes filling with tears, she turned and walked toward the door. Putting her hand on the door knob she risked one last glance at Xena, who still had her back turned to her, before exiting the room.
It wasn't until Xena heard the click of the door closing that she raised a hand to wipe a tear off her cheek. Her chest physically hurt. At this moment she wanted nothing more than to give in to her desire gather up the bard in her arms, hug her tight, and then give her the tongue lashing they both know she deserved. But that was not what Gabrielle wanted. She wanted to be treated like an adult, and so Xena would bite her tongue and do her best to make her bard happy.
Not being able to resist, Xena made her way back across the room to the window. She put her hand up against the glass, where it dwarfed the much smaller print Gabrielle had left there earlier. She then peered out into the darkness, waiting for Gabrielle to make her entrance. She didn't have to wait long.
The little bard shuffled out into the street, dwarfed in her adult-sized shift and her bare feet, making Xena cringe as she had neglected to remind her to put on her boots. But that, Xena realized, wouldn't have been conducive to their new adult relationship. She just hoped that the bard didn't step on a nail or get a splinter. That was one time Gabrielle really did act like a five-year old. Between blaming Xena for trying to tickle her and the bard's natural aversion to needles, it was next to impossible to get Gabrielle to sit still long enough to remove a simple splinter.
Gabrielle steps were heavy as she left the inn. With and angry grunt, she grabbed the edge of the fur and yanked on it, not realizing that it was all tangled up and covered in shattered wood bits. The bits went flying in all directions and Gabrielle was forced to drop the fur and use her arms and hands to protect her face.
When all the bits had settled again, she let out a sigh. She was frustrated and upset with the way Xena had reacted to her, and this wasn't helping. Not really thinking, she kicked a large section of the box, and then yelped, remembering too late that she wasn't wearing any shoes. She grabbed her foot and hopped a bit balancing on the other as she tried to soothe her sore toes. It took a few moments to get the intense throbbing to settle, but eventually she was able to put pressure on it again. She grabbed the fur a second time, but this time she was careful to shake the rest of the wood bits off of it before gathering it in a ball and hobbling back inside.
By the time that Gabrielle returned to the room, Xena had finished removing her armor and tucked herself into the room's only bed. She'd assumed Gabrielle's usual spot, closest to the wall, leaving the bard easy access to the other half of the bed. Gabrielle dumped the fur near the rest of their gear, and then approached the bed. Xena's back was to her, and so she couldn't tell if the warrior was asleep or not.
Attempting to calm her nerves she took a deep breath, and then climbed up onto the bed. Putting her hand on the warrior's shoulder, she whispered, "Xena?" The warrior didn't answer, but shifted, alerting Gabrielle that she was still awake. "Xena, aren't you even going to yell at me?"
Xena rolled over to face the little bard. A single eyebrow rose. "Why would I yell at you?"
"What I did was stupid, irresponsible, and I could have gotten really hurt. I could have even gotten you hurt."
Xena nodded. "I'm not gonna argue with any of that. It sounds like you already know what you did. What purpose would it serve for me to lecture you about it?"
Gabrielle looked down and shrugged. "It's just, well…I'm not feeling very grown up right now."
"Ah, and what do you expect me to do about it? Take you over my knee and paddle your bull-headed backside?"
Gabrielle cringed. "If it would make you not angry at me anymore."
Xena sighed and sat up. "I'm not angry with you, Gabrielle, I'm frustrated as Tartarus. I'm just trying to treat you like you wanted to be treated."
"Would it help to say that I'm sorry?"
"Let's just forget about it, ok? It's late we should get some sleep," Xena coaxed.
Gabrielle nodded, watching Xena lie back down and turn away from her. She sat for a long moment, before she leaned over and gently kissed Xena's cheek. "I am sorry, you know. Not just for tonight, but for this whole mess."
Xena didn't respond right away, but after a moment she turned her head back toward the bard. "I know." She reached out and gently stroked Gabrielle's cheek with the tips of her fingers. "I know it's hard, but we will get through this."
Gabrielle nodded, trying to hold back tears at the warrior's sudden gentleness. She managed a half smile before whispering, "Night, Xena."
"Night, my bard," Xena answered in a similar tone.