Little Bard: Chapter 7
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Gabrielle wasn't sure how late it was when she woke up the next morning. She could tell by the light seeping through the curtain that the sun was already high, and by the empty room and cool sheet next to her that Xena had left some time ago. With a frown she sat up, scanning the room and noticing a tray of food and a note on the table. Although she didn't want to get up out of the warm bed, her curiosity eventually got the best of her. She padded across the room to open the curtain, fully taking advantage of the warm sunlight, and then turned to retrieve an apple and the note.
She took a bite of the apple as she flipped the note open. It read:
Took Argo for a run. Don't leave the inn. -X
The little bard then marched over to the corner where Xena had propped her staff against the wall. She reached out to grab it, and then stopped; realizing that her hands were so small she could barely wrap her fingers all the way around it. With a little effort, she redoubled her determination and was able to grip it, but if felt awkward. It was too heavy and about two feet to tall.
Still, she managed to drag it away from the wall, and once she judged she was far enough from anything decided to take a practice swing. If she could just get the right balance, maybe the weapon would still be useful. She started with a simple swipe, and smiled that she was able to execute it, but the next move, a one-two block didn't go so well. The staff hit the edge of the bedpost, which caused it to rebound unexpectedly. Gabrielle lost her grip and watched, almost as if in slow motion, as it twisted and hit the edge of the table that was holding the water bowl and pitcher. She cringed as the table tipped and the pitcher and bowl came crashing to the ground, shattering into dozens of pieces.
For a moment she stood there, her mouth agape, for that wasn't even the worse of it. The bowl full of water just happen to fall on top of one of their bags, the bag she knew that contained the bulk of Xena's healing supplies. Letting out a small string of curses that would make anyone blush -especially coming from one who appeared so young - she crossed the room to survey the damage.
She carefully negotiated around the broken shards of ceramic and made her way to the bag. She then groaned realizing the damage was worse than she thought. Xena must have gotten something out of the bag recently, for it the latch was undone, and the cover left partially open. The water from the bowl had flooded in the contents.
With a heavy sigh, Gabrielle carefully picked up a sharp piece of the pitcher. She was moving it to the side, so she could safety access the bag, when a knock at the door startled her. Jumping she hissed in pain as her hand caught on the shard, slicing a deep gash across her palm.
"You ok in there, little one?" a man's voice called it. "It's Syrus, I heard a crash."
The little bard clenched her teeth to keep from crying out. The blood from the gash quickly pooled and began to overflow her slightly cupped hand.
"Gabrielle?" Syrus called again.
"I'm fine," Gabrielle was finally able to call out, hoping that he'd just go away.
"You don't sound fine. I'm coming in."
Before Gabrielle could protest she heard the rattle of keys and the clank of the door latch release. Looking back down at her hand she began to frantically dig through the bag in search of a bandage. She only got it half wrapped around the bleeding palm before she was interrupted.
"Mother of Zeus! Child, what happened?"
Gabrielle paused, looking up at the large inn keeper who was standing over her. "I'm fine," she protested. "It's just a scratch."
"That's a lot of blood for a scratch, little miss. Let me take a look," Syrus coaxed, squatting down and motioning for Gabrielle to give him her hand.
Gabrielle scowled, but gave in. She knew that it be useless to argue, and besides he was right, it was a lot of blood. It had already soaked through the bandage. The then grimaced as he slowly unwrapped the hap-hazard dressing to get a better look.
Letting out a low whistle, the inn keeper exclaimed, "It's pretty deep. I reckon it could use a couple of stitches."
"No, it'll be fine. I just need to get the bleeding to stop," Gabrielle objected pulling her hand away and cradling it to her chest as she began to search the bag for another bandage.
"Now, none of that, little one. No arguments. You are coming with me," Syrus decided, scooping up Gabrielle between his two strong arms, and cradling her. "I promised Xena I'd keep an eye on you. We need to attend to that."
"What? No, put me down!" Gabrielle protested, futilely struggling in his strong grip, but
Syrus held her firm.
"Just a minute, child. Wait until we get to the hall. I don't want you getting cut again." Moments later, Syrus made good on his word and set the bard back on her feet. "Here, little one," he commented, producing a rag out of his back pocket and pressing it down onto Gabrielle's palm. "Hold that firm."
Gabrielle grimaced, the pressure making the wound sting. "Stop that," she pulled away. "I can do it. And stop calling me little and child. My name is Gabrielle."
"Ah, excuse me… Gabrielle," Syrus chuckled in amusement.
Gabrielle glared at him, biting her tongue. She wanted nothing more than to tell the old man off, but she realized that he was seeing her as a child and had no idea what or who she really was.
"Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you down to the kitchen?"
"Look, I know you mean well, but I can take care of myself…"
"Carry it is," Syrus interrupted, stepping forward.
"Ok! Ok, I'll walk," Gabrielle reluctantly replied.
Syrus gave her a smile of approval before hastily escorting her down the hall.
Syrus seemed not to notice the sudden change in the little girl's demeanor as he pushed her forward, talking not to her, but about her to his wife. Gabrielle listened to their conversation, not being asked, but rather told to show her palm to Malissa. She complied; not really realizing what she'd done until the make-shift bandage was off and the inn-keeper's wife was poking at the wound.
"You're right Syrus, it is pretty deep. Looks like the bleedings stopped, though. That's good. I'll get her patched right up."
"Thanks," Syrus replied, pecking his massive wife on the cheek. "I told Xena I'd keep an eye on her. After what she did for our town, I'd hate to let her down." With a nod from his wife he then excused himself to attend other matters.
"Alright, little one," Malissa said, shifting her attention to Gabrielle, before picking her up and sitting her on the edge of a table. "Let me get my kit and I'll sew you right up."
"Sew?" Gabrielle asked, as if suddenly awoken from a haze. The events of the past few minutes, including the shyness and intimidation quickly faded, and she once again felt like her old self. She pulled her hand back, clutching it securely to her chest. "Xena should be back soon. I have her to look at it."
"Nonsense, child…"
"No," Gabrielle interrupted.
Malissa was taken slightly aback by Gabrielle's sudden stubbornness, but shook it off as the child just being frightened. "I'll tell you what. You be a good girl and let me take care of that for you, and I'll give you a piece of my blueberry pie. I just took a batch out of the oven. It's still warm."
Gabrielle narrowed her eyes. "Don't patronize me. And stop referring to me as child or little one. My name is Gabrielle!"
"Well excuse me, Miss Gabrielle," Malissa admonished, placing one had on a hips, and using the other to wag a scolding finger. "I don't know what that warrior woman lets you get away with, but you just remember this is my kitchen, so you best behave yourself."
Gabrielle scowled. She looked up Malissa; the beginnings of an argument forming on her tongue, but then it occurred to her that she might be going about this the wrong way. Letting her feeling get the best of her, Malissa was only seeing her as disobedient child. She had to change her mind, and to do that, she had to do what she did best; talk. "Look, I'm thankful for your help, but really it's not needed. I can take care of myself. I know that I look like kid, but I'm really not."
Malissa raised a questioning eyebrow as Gabrielle continued, "You see it's not my fault. Aphrodite put a spell on me. Well it was kind of my fault, but she turned me into a kid so that Xena could learn to appreciate me. We tried to get her to undo it, but she wouldn't so I'm stuck like this until I can figure out how to break her spell."
The expression on the older woman's face softened. "You really do have an active imagination, don't you?"
Gabrielle watched as she turned away and filled a bowl with warm water. If Gabrielle's hand wasn't so sore she would have slapped it to her forehead. Malissa didn't believe a word of her story, but then who could blame her. It did sound pretty outrageous, even for a bard like herself.
Malissa soon returned to Gabrielle's side with the water and a soft cloth and began to gently clean off her bloodied hand. "Perhaps I should have a talk with that warrior of yours. You're much too young to be invoking the name of the Goddess of Love."
Gabrielle narrowed her eyes again, but the inn-keeper's wife wasn't paying attention. As soon as she got the opportunity, the bard swore she was going to take off and hide somewhere until Xena got back. She had to get away from these people!
___
When Xena arrived at Aphrodite's temple the sun was high in the sky. She had hoped to arrive sooner, as she knew that Gabrielle would probably be awake by now, but she'd been delayed by a couple of highway men. Apparently word had gotten out that Darnan's gang was no longer a major player and the two fools that she encountered were trying to take advantage of the situation. It was too bad that the word didn't also get out about who had put the gang out of commission; although she had found an easily enough remedy for that. She'd sent the two away with broken blades, damage to various vital body parts, and a message. Hopefully the two will come through for her and spread the word that she was in the area and not in the mood to be messed with.
Xena slowly walked up the steps to the temple. It was older than she imagined, and slightly overgrown with ivy and roses, which if she would have taken a moment to enjoy might have put her in a better mood. The inside of the temple was rather small, but even though it currently seemed deserted, it was well maintained. Candles were lit and the altar was littered with shiny trinkets, flowers, and a few not so fresh fish.
Xena wrinkled her nose at the smell as she took a moment to scan the interior. She knew that Aphrodite must know she was there, and hoped that her presence would be enough to summon her, but wasn't really surprised when it didn't. Her calls earlier that morning had produced nothing but annoyance on the warrior's behalf. She had questions, and was going to get them answered, even if she did have to come through on her threat to trash every temple between here and Potidaea.
Eyeing a particularly beautiful statue of the goddess herself, Xena unhooked her chakram, and let it fly. It bounced, once, twice, and then a third time hitting one of the out stretched arms before ricocheting and returning back to the warrior. Xena smirked as the marble cracked and the arm was severed from the rest of the half-nude statue, hitting the floor with an echoing thump.
"Aphrodite! I can do this all day," Xena called out before letting the chakram fly a second time, and hearing another thump as the statue lost its other arm. Still not getting an answer, Xena gripped up her chakram once more, "This time it's the head…" she commented, pulling back her arm.
"Wait!" Aphrodite yelled, appearing in a burst of pink hearts and roses between the warrior and her statue. "What is it with you and that bard of your destroying my temples?" She turned protectively toward her statue. "Don't you realize this Venus is a one of kind? Created by Milos himself! And you just… ug! Warriors!"
Xena shrugged, having no idea what the goddess was going on about. She reattached her chakram, and crossed her arms, waiting for Love to finish her rant.
After a few moments the goddess turned back toward Xena, "Ok, what? What's so important that you need to deface me like this? I already told you I can't help Gabrielle anymore. She has to work through this herself."
"You gave her her memories back," Xena replied.
Aphrodite wrinkled her brow in confusion. "Yes, I thought that is what you wanted. You want me to take them away again?"
"No, no, don't do that," Xena shook her head. "What I want to know is why?"
"You really don't get it, do you?"
"No, I don't. I tried to do what she wanted. I tried to treat her like an adult. I didn't yell at her, I didn't… I didn't mean to hurt her, but I think I did." Xena turned her head, not being able to meet the goddess's eye. "She cried herself to sleep last night. I don't know how to help her."
Aphrodite frowned, her face softening as she felt the pain in the warrior's voice. "This isn't about you, it's about her."
"But the wish…"
"Was never about you," Aphrodite interrupted. "You warriors think everything revolves around you." The goddess let her words linger for a moment, before she crossed the space between herself and the warrior. She then reached out, gently touching Xena's cheek with her fingertips. "She kissed you last night."
Xena reached up and touched the cheek as the goddess withdrew her fingers. "Yes, when she apologized to me."
"But you didn't return the affection?"
"I was angry. Not at her, but at the situation."
"Are you sure about that? If it was the situation, why did you shut her out?" Aphrodite chastised. "Don't you see that she needs you now more than ever? She's scared and afraid. She may say that she doesn't want you to protect her, but she's lost with you. And I know you don't want to admit it, warrior, but you…"
"Are lost without her," Xena mumbled.
Aphrodite smiled. She took a step back and started to fade out of view. "Maybe there is hope for you yet, warrior."
"I thought you said it wasn't about me?" Xena called to the now empty room. She wasn't surprised not to receive an answer.
It was well past mid-day by the time that Xena returned to the town. The words of Aphrodite were weighing heavily on her, but she was still unsure what to do about them. She hated when the gods were so cryptic, but perhaps Aphrodite had told her what she needed to know. Somehow she needed to prove to Gabrielle how much she meant to her. How much she cared for her, and how much… how much she loved her. That final thought was startling to Xena. She cared for the bard more than life itself, but never realized just how deep that care went.
As she got closer to the inn she raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she noticed a group of people crowded around a massive, ancient-oak tree. It was an odd scene, and she got that funny feeling in her stomach that told her Gabrielle was somehow involved. As she got closer and dismounted Argo, she was met by Syrus.
"Thank the gods you're back," he greeted. "You're little girl got herself into quite a predicament," he continued looking up into the branches of the tree.
Xena followed his gaze. "What in the world?" she mumbled. Squinting she could just make out the little bard's form, perhaps a good 60 feet or so up in the tree. "Gabrielle!" she bellowed, putting her hands on her hips. "What in the name of Hades are doing?"
Gabrielle shifted slightly and waved. "Hello, Xena," she called down.
"Get down from there!"
"No, I don't think that's a very good idea," Gabrielle called down in reply.
"No? No? Did she just tell me no?" Xena asked to no one in particular. She paced back and forth a few times, letting her sudden anger simmer before stopping next to Syrus once again.
"She hasn't exactly been very cooperative," Syrus mumbled. Catching Xena's eye he explained. "We sent two of our older boys up after her, but she kept climbing up higher."
Xena looked at him and then back at the little girl in the tree. "Do I need to come up there?" she called out, not bothering to hide the threatening edge to her voice.
Gabrielle was quiet for a long moment before she replied, "Actually, I kinda wish you would."
"Yeah, well you might change your mind about that once I get up there," Xena mumbled as she reached up to unclip her breast plate. She quickly stripped down to her bare leathers, leaving everything that would weigh her down on the ground. Gabrielle was up at the very top of the tree, where the branches were thin and she knew she would have to navigate very carefully to reach her bard.
Once clear of brass and other unnecessary metal, Xena flexed her knees and sprung up into the tree. It took her only a blink of an eye for her to shimmy up the trunk as she used various branches as hand and foot holds.
When Xena arrived at the top, she anchored herself on a sturdier branch, and then reached up to the bard. "Grab my hand," she ordered.
Gabrielle hesitated for a moment, seeing the coldness in Xena's eyes. She shook her head. "I can't, Xena…"
"Damn it, Gabrielle, I'm not playing."
Gabrielle swallowed, and reached out; the warrior just out of range. "I can't, Xena," she explained. "I'm stuck."
Xena growled in irritation, but shifted her position to confirm that Gabrielle was right. The back of her shift had snagged on a branch, and it was holding her fast to the tree. The branch itself was barely supporting Gabrielle's weight. Xena knew adding her own could be dangerous for them both. Yet, she realized there was no way Gabrielle would be able to untangle herself without assistance. Xena frowned. This wasn't going to be easy.
"Alright," Xena refocused. "You're going to have to take off your shift."
"What? No way, I'm not gonna strip in front of all these people."
"Gabrielle, you're in the body of a five year old, remember? It's not like you have anything to hide," Xena chastised.
Gabrielle shook her head adamantly. "No, no way. Think of something else…" she began before suddenly stopping as the branch she was attached to creaked and then snapped causing her to drop down a few inches. "Xena! Help me," she squeaked in panic.
"Alright, alright. Don't move," the warrior ordered. "Just look at me. Keep your eyes on mine." Xena shifted again, this time moving down and positioning herself lower than the bard. She reached into her cleavage and retrieved her breast dagger. Seeing Gabrielle's eyes go wide with the appearance of the blade she asked, "Gabrielle, you trust me, right?"
The bard nodded, letting out another squeak as the limb she was attached to dropped her down another couple of inches. "Xena…"
Before Gabrielle could finish, Xena flicked her wrist, letting the dagger fly. The blade severed the material between the bard and branch, suddenly freeing Gabrielle. The bard scrambled to maintain a hold, but lost her balance and fell. At that same instant Xena spring boarded from her branch, just managing to catch little bard, before rebalancing on a lower branch.
With a frown, Xena reached down, touching the bandaged hand. "You ok?" Xena asked the white knuckled girl, who had her little fists wrapped around both of her shoulder straps.
"I will be," Gabrielle replied with a grimace, "As soon as we are on the ground again."
Xena answered with a grunt and a nod, before quickly descending from the tree. Once safely back on solid ground, the warrior returned the little bard to her feet. With a frown she gave the child a once over, getting a good look at her for the first time. She was filthy, not wearing any shoes, and the front of her shift was in shreds. She was covered in a mixture of mud, what looked to be blood, and some kind of sticky purplish goop. Her hair was tangled, matted, and encrusted with the same mixture as her shift, and to top it off she was adorned with the odd twig or leaf from the tree.
Now that the show was over the crowd began to disperse. Within a few moments only Syrus, Xena, and the little bard reminded. Xena cleared her throat, attempting to get Gabrielle's attention, since she seemed to be rather interested in the ground in front of her, and was purposely avoiding Xena's eyes.
With a sigh the little bard looked up, but instead of addressing Xena, she turned to Syrus. "I'm sorry that I caused so much trouble today. Please tell your wife that I'm sorry about the pies, and the mud. I didn't know that puddle was there. Oh and the pig, I'm sorry about that too." She risked a glance at Xena, and then back at Syrus. "And I'm sorry about running away and getting stuck up in that tree. I didn't mean to do that, either."
"Whatever she did, we'll pay for or replace," Xena reassured Syrus.
Syrus looked up and nodded at Xena. "It was mostly superficial, but we can settle details later. You should keep an eye on her hand though, that was a pretty nasty cut." He then turned his attention to Gabrielle. "And I'm sorry too, little one. I wish you would have had a better day. I forgive you, however I believe my wife may want some help cleaning up her kitchen."
Gabrielle grimaced. "As soon as I get cleaned up, I'll be there."
"Good," Syrus returned. "Then I'll leave you two ladies to chat."
Watching the inn-keeper go, Xena looked down, making eye contact with Gabrielle. "Why is it that you never have any shoes on?"
Gabrielle wrinkled her nose, realizing she didn't really have a good answer.
"Never mind," Xena sighed. "Sounds like you have one Hades of story to tell me. First though, I want to see that hand. If it was clean, it's not anymore. Let's head upstairs so I have access to my med kit."
"No, Xena, wait. Can we maybe talk somewhere else? Don't you have the little kit on Argo?"
Little Bard: Chapter 9
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Gabrielle furiously rubbed her ear, trying in vain to relieve the sting. Xena had just released her, having used it as a means to escort the little bard back to their room. In hindsight, perhaps telling Xena about the damage to her med kit so abruptly wasn't the best course of action. She should have tried harder or found a gentler way of explaining what happened, but then that seemed to be happening a lot to her lately. This morning with Syrus and Malissa, and now with Xena, she just didn't seem to be able to control her normally golden tongue. It was disconcerting and Gabrielle was just becoming more and more frustrated each time it happened.
The little bard watched Xena cross the room, before kneeling down in front her kit. It was only then that she realized that someone must have been in the room since Syrus, literally, had carried her from it. The table that had been knocked over had been righted, as was the broken pitcher and bowl which had been cleaned up and replaced with new set. Her staff had been re-propped up against the wall, and someone had even taken care and remade the bed.
"How bad is it?" Gabrielle called out nervously, afraid to cross the room and look at the damage herself. When Xena didn't answer, Gabrielle shifted her weight from one foot to the other and back again. "Xena?" she softly called out again.
The warrior let out a soft grunt as she stood back up and turned to face her bard. Gabrielle's eyes immediately fell, as Xena's soft footfalls only seemed to make the little bard's heart beat faster. Perhaps if she was very still and very quiet Xena would give her a chance to make her peace with the gods before she killed her. Gabrielle held her breath as the warrior's boots came into her field of vision, stopping just in front of her mud encrusted toes.
Gabrielle grimaced as she felt Xena's warm hand on her chin, as she gently forced the little bard to look up. Before blue could meet green, Gabrielle's eyes suddenly flooded with tears. "Please don't hate me, Xena."
The warrior sighed, but didn't hesitate as she went down on one knee and gathered the little bard into her arms. "I've told you before, Gabrielle, I could never hate you."
Xena's gentle tone only seemed to fuel Gabrielle's tears as she threw her arms around the warrior's neck. "I'm so sorry. Did I destroy it all?"
"Hush, now. It's ok. Anything that can't be saved, we can replace. Besides, you know the kit itself is wrapped in an oiled sleeve. It's not the first time it's gotten wet."
Gabrielle sniffled and pulled back, meeting Xena's warm blue eyes. "You sure?"
Xena nodded. "Now, are you going to let me take a look at that hand before it gets infected?"
Gabrielle's eyes shifted to the small bag that Xena had in her hand. She knew held her cleansing herbs which she used to help ward off infection. She sniffled again, making Xena grimace as the little bard wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "Promise you'll be gentle?"
"If you promise not to do that again."
Gabrielle looked down, realizing she'd just caused the dirt and grime on her arm to mingle with her tears and nasal discharge. She blinked in surprise, and then frowned. "I keep doing stuff like that. I can't control it. It's strange, like I can see it mentally, but it's like I'm one step behind, and then I'm doing something before I have a chance to think it through."
"I've noticed," Xena commented as she stood and escorted the little bard to the edge of the bed.
"Do you think it's part of what Aphrodite did to me?"
"Probably," Xena replied as she picked up the bard, and sat her on the edge of bed.
"You know, I've been thinking about this. This whole situation," Gabrielle paused as Xena used a wet cloth to wipe the grime and dirt off her face. Rinsing the cloth, she then started working on the little bard's hand. "I was thinking that there must be other people that the gods have done this too, but I can't come up with a single story. I mean there are stories about children, about the gods as children, even about the gods granting immortality, but nothing like my situation."
"Figures," Xena snorted. "What about other transformations?"
"What do you mean?" Gabrielle asked and then hissed as Xena ran water over the now exposed wound.
"Sorry. I mean like when Artemis turns people into a deer or a bear. They don't just look like an animal, but take on the characteristics of them. The gods too, sometimes they are said to take on the shape and attributes of certain animals. Maybe you are also being affected by the body you are in."
"Great, so I don't just look like a five year old, I'm thinking like one as well?"
"It's possible," Xena replied before frowning. "I'm going to have to stich this. It's going to sting," she warned. Gabrielle immediately started to squirm, but was abruptly cut off as Xena caught her chin and forced green to suddenly be entrapped by blue. "You will sit still, and you will let me help you. Understand?"
Gabrielle swallowed, but managed a slight nod of her head. Once Xena released her chin, she closed her eyes and turned her head. "I don't wanna look."
Xena chuckled and Gabrielle could hear her shuffle through her bag. She then tensed as the warrior sat down on the bed next to her. The little girl shut her eyes tighter, trying to think of anything else but that needle that she knew Xena had in her hand. Just when Gabrielle didn't think she could stand the tension any longer, Xena started to hum.
Gabrielle felt herself immediately relax as her ears picked up on Xena's tender voice. It was almost magical. The tone the warrior could produce was always shocking to the bard. It was so pure and so full of emotion, it was hard to image that it came from the strong and stoic Warrior Princess. Gabrielle couldn't help but manage a smile as Xena's hum deepened and she added her velvety vocals to the melody. The little bard opened her eyes, her palm all but forgotten, as she watched the calm and content expression on Xena's face.
"Alright," Xena said, abruptly stopping her song. "All done." The warrior looked up, her cheeked suddenly coloring as blue met green. She coughed gently. "Now that wasn't so bad was it?"
Gabrielle blinked, and then smiled. She looked down, examining the five minuscule stitches across her palm. "I didn't feel a thing."
"Good, now for the rest of you. C'mon bard," Xena invited, pulling the little girl back to her feet, "Let's go find you a tub."
Xena was stretched out on the bed, her hands clasped behind her head. Gabrielle was facing the warrior, laying her side, just a few inches away. It had been an exhausting day. After they'd gotten the little bard cleaned up -again, they both ventured down to the kitchen and helped Malissa finishing cleaning up the mess that Gabrielle had created earlier. Not that it was all the bard's fault. She'd tried to explain she wanted to wait for Xena to tend to her hand, but Malissa had insisted. If the inn-keeper's wife wouldn't have been so concerned with catching the little bard, all the mess could have been avoided.
"I can't believe you tried to take a pig for a walk," Xena chuckled.
"You laugh now, but at the time it sounded like a good idea. He looked so sad and it was cold in the barn. I figured if I had him on a leash I could move him out in the sun and he wouldn't run away. I was just trying to help. How was I to know that old dog was gonna bark and scare him?"
"So, is that when you fell in the mud?"
Gabrielle wrinkled her nose, "The second time, yeah."
Xena hiked up an eyebrow, "The second time? No, forget it. I don't want to know."
It was then the bard's turn to giggle. "You know something, Xena. You're taking all this awfully well. I figured you'd be pretty mad after everything that happened today."
"To be honest, at first I was," the warrior sighed. "But then after we got back to the room, you looked so sad and…. well, some big bad warrior I turned out to be. You quiver your lip and I melt."
"Hmm… I'll have to remember that, next time I try to take a pig for a walk," Gabrielle teased as she readjusted herself and sat criss-cross on top of the bed.
Xena half sat up, turning and propping her head up on her hand. "You know, it's not really funny. I'm trying hard here, Gabrielle. You're not making it easy. The only thing I asked you to do today is not leave the inn, and you couldn't even do that."
Gabrielle bit her lip a moment, her green eyes flashing. "That's how all this started. You're still not getting it, Xena! You keep leaving me behind."
"Am I? Think about it, Gabrielle." Xena said as she sat up all the way. "Aphrodite was right, this isn't about me, it's all up to you!"
"Aphrodite, I don't remember her saying that. When did she…?"
"Today," Xena interrupted. "Did you even stop and think for a minute where I went today?"
"I just assumed…"
"That I was off killing some big bad warlord? No, I was trying to solve our… no YOUR problem. I went to Aphrodite's temple, trying to figure out a way to fix this."
"Oh," Gabrielle replied softly, her eyes suddenly finding themselves glued to the quilt she was sitting on top of.
Xena narrowed her eyes. "Of course, now you've put me in a real predicament."
Gabrielle looked back up, her brow wrinkling in confusion by Xena's words.
"I don't know what to do with you anymore," the warrior continued. "I want to treat you like an adult. I want to respect you, and see you as my partner, but I can't. You won't let me."
"But you are the one that keeps leaving me behind. You don't tell me what's going on, and then just disappear on me! What am I supposed to do, Xena? You tell me."
"How about trusting me? Did you ever consider that I don't tell you things so that you stay safe? What if I told you was I was going today? You would have insisted on coming with me, or worse yet followed after me. I ran into some bandits on the way there. What if you'd gotten hurt, or if you ran into them on your own? How would you have handled that?"
"I stayed here and got hurt anyways," Gabrielle sarcastically answered, gently touching the bandage around her hand.
Xena reached out and caught the hand in her own. "And just how did this happen?"
"I told you. I cut it on the broken water pitcher."
"Yes, but how did the pitcher get broken? You hit it with your staff, didn't you?"
Gabrielle yanked her hand away from Xena. "It was an accident."
Xena narrowed her eyes as she got up off the bed and crossed the room. Grabbing Gabrielle's staff, she took it from the wall that it was leaning against, and replaced it in the same corner that she'd originally put it. Glancing back toward the bard, her icy tone wasn't missed as she instructed, "I'm going to go find us some dinner. Stay here."
Gabrielle let out a long slow breath, her body shaking with an involuntary shiver, as the door slammed shut and the warrior disappeared. Her hand traveled to her mouth, where she found herself nervously chewing on her thumb nail. Realizing what she was doing, she purposely put her hand down, silently scolding herself for a reigniting a long forgotten habit. "Well good going Gabrielle," she mumbled. "You've gone and really mucked it up this time."