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ForevaXena's FanFic . . . The Gladiatrix
Genre:
alternative post-fin Violence:
Yep, but I’ve put a lot of love in the slaying bits, so that should count
for something. Subtext:
Xena and Gabrielle are lovers, so yes, there’s subtext. You’ll love it! The sun shone its cupper light on the mountain ridge.
The day was coming to an end and Xena looked at the setting sun. Its warmth
embraced her body and she sighed blissfully. Until she heard the impatient voice
of her soulmate. “Okay, you have enjoyed the scenery long enough now. Time to
go down, Xena.” The warrior princess raised an eyebrow. “Again?” and she
started to unbuckle her breastplate. But Gabrielle folded her arms and said severely: “As
in climbing down the mountain! I need those herbs!” Xena mopingly put the breastplate back in its place.
“So? What’s that got to do with me?” Gabrielle pointed her finger at her and grumbled:
“You threw them over the cliff!” “Can you blame me? It looked like something the
horses threw up!” The bard buried her face in her hands and mumbled:
“Really Xena, you are so ignorant when it comes down to the fine art of
cooking. That was coriander!” Xena shrugged her shoulders. “Whatever. I’m not
going to risk my life for a bunch of leafs. Let’s just use parsley. That’s
green too, right?” Gabrielle looked at her in utter amazement. “The sad
thing is, you’re not even joking.” “What do you think you’re doing?” Gabrielle carefully placed her foot over the ridge.
“What does it look like? I’m going to collect my herbs.” “No, you’re not.” Xena grabbed the bard by her
skirt and pulled her up. “Hey, stop that! I’m as good a climber as you
are.” “I know. But I’m not taking any chances. Not for a
stupid reason like this one.” The warrior princess looked over the ridge to
mark the position of the coriander and with a perfect lash of her whip she
caught the bunch. It landed right in front of Gabrielle’s feet. “Happy
now?” The bard examined the coriander, muttered “you missed
a few branches” and walked off. A moment later Xena’s whip had wrapped itself around
Gabrielle’s waist and arms. But Xena threw her an amused look and pulled her
closer. “I don’t think so. You see, I expected a bit more gratitude than
what you just showed me.” Gabrielle smiled. “Well, you don’t always get what
you want.” Xena gave the whip a jerk and Gabrielle stumbled a yard
closer. “There’s where you are wrong,” the warrior replied with a sultry
voice as she towered above her. “I always
get what I want.” Gabrielle tried not to look into the piercing blue eyes
and answered sulkily: “Okay. Thank you. There! I said it. Now, let me go.” “Not good enough.” The bard drew in a long breath. Then she said with
venom in her voice: “Thank you, oh divine patroness of fine herbs. I will
never forget this unselfish deed and will forever praise you for it. Now if the
great savior of spices would be so kind to let me go?” A malicious smile appeared on Xena’s face. She gave
the whip a jerk so that the bard fell right into her arms. Xena looked down on
her and said: “Say it like you mean it.” The bard bulged her cheek with her tongue and replied
slowly: “Alright.” She looked up into Xena’s light blue eyes and
whispered: “The way you handle that whip gives me shivers and your arrogant
look makes me weak in the knees. Let me go and I’ll show you gratitude.”
Xena held her breath and tilted her head to kiss the
bard. But Gabrielle muttered: “Untie me first.” With reluctance Xena withdrew her lips. It only took a
twirl of the whip and Gabrielle’s body was freed. Before Xena could kiss her,
the bard put her finger on the warrior’s lips and whispered: “Close your
eyes. I wanna do this my way.” Hesitatingly Xena did what she was asked. Gabrielle
kissed her throat and slowly moved up. Very slowly. She heard a lustful moan and
through her lashes she saw how Xena’s soft lips parted... Without giving it
another thought Gabrielle stuffed the coriander in Xena’s mouth. “Tell me
Xena, does this taste anything like parsley?” Xena’s eyes flashed open while she spit the herbs
out. For a few seconds the warrior looked like she could explode. But then she
slowly in- and exhaled and moved her hands like a yoga master. “I’m calm. I
can do this. I can let this pass.” The bard gave her a cautious look and backed away just
the same. Which was wise, because all of a sudden Xena burst out: “Who am I
kidding? I’m going to kick your butt!” Gabrielle ran off, but it wasn’t long before Xena had
worked her to the ground. While she held the bard’s wrists in an iron grip,
she looked into Gabrielle’s green eyes and smirked: “I’m afraid I have to
torture you.” And she smilingly placed her knees on the bard’s upper arms. “For the love of Zeus, not the crusher!” Gabrielle
said with begging eyes. Xena didn’t wait for an answer and brought her lips
to Gabrielle’s mouth. “I hate to interrupt you,” the bard mumbled against
her mouth, “but there’s a bit of coriander sticking between your teeth.” Xena flashed her eyebrows up and down. “Good...
There’s gotta be some punishment in your verdict.” And she kissed her again. “You’re so gross!” the bard panted when Xena’s
lips left her mouth in order to nibble on her earlobe. “Yeah, just the way you like me.” They had traveled all day long when they arrived at a
small village. Soon they found the local inn and managed to get a table. While
Gabrielle plopped down, Xena said: “I’m gonna ask the innkeeper if he knows
anything about Eve.” “Good idea,” Gabrielle said. “And while you’re
at it, ask if he’s got any food. I’m starving.” Xena rolled her eyes and walked over to the bar. When
the innkeeper noticed the warrior he gave her an unfriendly nod. Xena ignored
his unwelcome gesture and said: “Do you have something to eat?” The bartender answered wryly: “Nothing fancy. I’ve
got lamb stew and vegetable soup. That’s it.” “The stew sounds good to me.” “I’ll heat it up for you,” the bold headed man
replied: “Anything else?” Xena came a bit closer and said: “I’m looking for
this woman. Maybe you’ve heard of her...” The innkeeper raised his hand and answered: “For the
last time: I haven’t seen her, I don’t know where she went and to be honest:
I don’t give a damn!” Xena frowned. “I haven’t even mentioned her
name!” The bartender gave her a distrustful look. “You’re
not exactly the first bounty hunter who payed me a visit, so cut the crap. I
know you’re after the gladiatrix.” Xena answered coolly: “I’m not looking for a
gladiatrix, I’m trying to find my daughter. Her name is Eve.” The man embarrassedly scratched his bold head and
stammered: “Oh... I thought... Well, you kinda look like a bounty hunter.
Wearing all that armor and stuff. Sorry.” Xena waved it aside. “About my daughter... Heard
anything about her or the cult of Eli?” As the bartender cleaned a jar he muttered: “The Cult
of Eli? Yeah, but that was a long time ago. Some of the villagers followed them
to... was it east? Yeah, I think they went east. Can’t say I was too happy
with it. I don’t like to lose customers.” Xena was about to walk back to their table when she
changed her mind. “Just out of curiosity. Who is this gladiatrix?” The innkeeper sighed: “A real beauty, but a bit too
rough for my liking. They call her the Queen of Batavia.” Xena gave him a curious look and whispered:
“Batavia?” “Yeah, they say it lies somewhere between Gaul and
the land of the Vikings. I saw her fight one time and she was just amazing. She
slay five men with no trouble at all. Kinda strange when you think of it. I
mean, with skills like that you think she would have escaped years ago.” He
spit on the jar and rubbed it dry. “Anyway, general Claudius, who owns her,
wants her back. He offers 10.000 dinars!” Xena whistled. “That’s a lot of money.” “It’s not enough if it means getting killed. And
besides, I hope they never find her. Serves that arrogant Roman bastard right.
But...” and he winked at her, “you didn’t hear that from me.” Xena smiled and walked back to their table. “And?” Xena answered weary: “Nothing we didn’t know
yet.” The bard peered at the bartender and looked puzzled.
“Then what were you talking about?” Xena put her sword on the table and muttered:
“Something about an escaped slave on the run. He thought we were bounty
hunters.” Gabrielle frowned while she examined her clothes.
“Bounty hunters? By the gods, I really have to work on my looks.” A moment later the innkeeper arrived with two steamy
bowls. “There you go. Oh, I thought you might be interested in this,” and he
lay a piece of paper on the table. “Let’s hope you don’t bump into her.
Believe me, you don’t want to get in her way.” Gabrielle took the flyer and read it aloud: “Wanted:
the gladiatrix Anna, also known as Queen of Batavia.” Xena suddenly dropped her spoon and said: “Give me
that!” When a startled Gabrielle gave her the piece of paper,
Xena looked at it for seconds without batting an eye. But her expression grew
dark. Finally Gabrielle whispered: “What’s wrong? Do you
know her?” Xena was silent for a while, but then she said absent-mindedly:
“Yes, I do.” The bard waited for more to come, but Xena stared at
the picture as if she was miles away. It wasn’t until Gabrielle touched her
hand, that Xena seemed to wake up from her thoughts. “Gabrielle, I need to
find her. I can’t explain now, but...” “When do we leave?” the bard interrupted. For a short moment a smile brightened up Xena’s face,
but then her blue eyes narrowed and she said severely: “First thing in the
morning. I think she went home.” That night they lay in the dry hay. Gabrielle ran her
fingers through Xena’s black hair, while inhaling the sensuous scent of her
neck. “Tell me about her,” she whispered. “Should I be jealous?” Xena faintly smiled. “She was about eight when I met
her. Does that answer your question?” Gabrielle blushed and mumbled: “Ehm... sort of.”
She propped herself up on an elbow. “So, you met her in Batavia?” There was a remoteness about her as Xena stared into
the darkness. “I had just left Denmark. When Grunnehilde took the rhinegold
from me I lost interest in Odin’s quarters. So I went south. For days I
traveled through dense woods and big swamps. There was this constant rain and I
couldn’t find any dry wood to warm up. It was so cold...” A shiver ran down her spine, but she soon recovered and
carried on. “I got sick. I got weaker and weaker, and at one point I must have
fallen from my horse. Next thing I remember was this blonde child leaning over
me, taking care of me.” Her voice choked and Gabrielle wanted to lay her arm
around Xena, but the warrior stopped her. “Don’t. Not until you know
everything.” The bard gave her a questioning look, but found no
answers in Xena’s eyes. And so Gabrielle waited for Xena to continue. “She
gave me something terrible to drink, and the fever slowly died away. In a few
days I was up on my feet again. Since I had seen no one else in the hut, I asked
her where her parents were. At first she didn’t understand me. She only knew a
few words of latin. But finally I understood that they were dead. Murdered by
the Romans.” “Didn’t she have any brothers or sisters?” “She had no one. Anna
take care of self, that’s what she said.” Xena smiled recalling the moment. But her smile died
away when Gabrielle whispered: “I can see why you want to help her. She saved
you.” Xena gnashed her teeth and dared not to look at the
bard. “I’m forever in her debt, Gabrielle. You see, when I left... I took
her with me.” “To take care of her?” “No. I sold her.” Gabrielle couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
“You what?” Xena’s eyes were filled with guilt. “I told her we
would go for a ride, but I brought her straight to the Romans. I knew they would
pay well for a fair girl.” Gabrielle looked at her in total shock. “How could
you? She was only a child!” “I needed the money. That was the only thing I cared
for in those days.” Gabrielle shook her head and whispered: “I know what
you were like, but a child... Even the old Xena must have had some feelings.” “I didn’t allow myself to have feelings. Couldn’t
afford it.” “But she was only eight! Imagine the fear she must
have felt. Who knows what they did to her!” Xena’s eyes burned as she growled: “Do you really
think that question never haunted me? Gabrielle, my heart aches when I think
about what I have done to her. But back then... I used people, they meant
nothing to me. I just cashed the money and left. I never looked back once.” The bard closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “Why
have you never told me this before?” “You know what my biggest fear is? That one day
you’ll realize that my sins are bigger than your heart.” Xena hardly dared
to look at her. “You can’t forgive me forever, Gabrielle. Not even you.” Gabrielle took Xena’s face into her small hands.
“Yes, I can. And you know why? Because I love the woman you are today. The
past can’t change that. I won’t let it. But this is not about me, Xena.
It’s not for me to forgive you.” Xena shook off a tear before it had reached her cheek.
“I know. But Anna never will.” Next morning they rode off. The sun had barely risen
and the village was still sound asleep. When they reached a three forked road,
Xena took the southern path. Gabrielle pulled her horse to a stop and said:
“Aren’t we supposed to go north? I thought you believed she went back to
Batavia?” Xena turned her horse and said: “I still do. But the
Romans control the mainland. They have posts everywhere. She has a much better
chance if she travels by ship.” “What if she’s not that smart?” “She survived more than 25 years of enslavement -
she’s smart enough.” The bard looked down south and said: “Guess I better
start searching for those pressure points again. What harbor are we heading
for?” Xena smiled and caressed Gabrielle’s cheek.
“Paphlos. But we’re going to pay general Claudius a visit first. I wanna
know why she left.” Gabrielle frowned. “Isn’t that obvious? She wanted
her freedom back.” Xena shook her head. “No, that bartender was right...
If she’s that good a fighter she could have fled a long time ago.” The bard looked at her friend sharply. “You think
Claudius is going to tell you the truth?” Xena’s jaws flexed as she peered at the horizon and
answered: “Oh yes.” “There’s someone to see you, general. A warrior
named Xena.” Claudius’ expression showed a mixture of surprise and curiosity
when he heard the name. In thoughts he straightened his clothes, while his
servant quietly awaited his orders. A nod from his master was enough; the young
Roman left the patio and soon returned in the company of a tall, dark haired
woman. “Xena,” the general said with a charming smile,
“What brings the legendary warrior princess to my humble quarters?” “I believe you lost something. And I intend to bring
it back.” Claudius’ eyes brightened up. “I hadn’t expected
you to join the chase. But then again, who can resist 10.000 dinars?” “It’s not the money I’m interested in.” The general gave her a suspicious look. “Then what
is?” Xena smiled seductively as she caressed her chakram.
“Let’s say Anna and I have some... unfinished
business.” “I don’t recall you ever fighting her. What has she
done to you?” “She challenged me. Word is she said she could squash
me like a grape. I’m not about to let her ruin my reputation.” Claudius laughed out loud. “My my, I didn’t know
you were so vein.” “We all have our little flaws.” The general looked at her sharply for a while. “Very
well, you may go after her. But remember, I own her. And I want her back alive.
You got that?” “I’ll try to keep that in mind. But suppose I get a
little carried away... Surely her death won’t overthrow you with grief? After
all... she’s just a slave, isn’t she?” “If she was just
a slave, I wouldn’t offer that much money. If you only knew what people will
pay to see her fight. She’s a star! So make sure you don’t harm her. She’s
of no use to me dead.” “Any idea where she went to?” Claudius rolled his eyes and sighed. “Probably back
to that horrible place where I found her: Batavia. But let’s not discuss that
now. Night is falling... You’re welcome to stay in my palazzo for the
night.” “Thanks.” “Good. I’ll see you at dinner.” When Xena and Gabrielle entered the room, Claudius and
his wife already awaited them, lying on their luxurious cushions. “You talk to
the wife. Let me handle Claudius,” Xena whispered in the bard’s ear, while
she gracefully smiled at the general. “Xena! Do sit down,” he said courteously. Then he
took Gabrielle’s hand and kissed it lightly. “But first tell me the name of
your charming companion.” The bard lowered her eyes. Xena gave them a peculiar
look and then said: “This is Gabrielle. A famous bard who can tell you all
about the bloody battles we’ve been through. You should hear her recite about
the siege of Thebes... Absolutely exhilarating.” Claudius looked approvingly at the bard. “Then I’ll
suggest you come dine at my side.’ Gabrielle smiled but quickly threw Xena a puzzled and
angry look. But the warrior was all eyes for Claudius’ wife, Lucia. “Mind if I sit here?” The woman, who probably was in her mid-forties,
produced a forced smile. “Not at all.” When the warrior had installed herself and a servant
had poured her a glass of wine, the lady said: “So, you’re going to pursue
Anna.” “I’ll do even better than that. I’ll find her.” Lucia kept silent, but her expression didn’t show
much enthusiasm. Xena took a sip from her wine and said casually:
“They say she is quite a warrior.” “That’s what they say,” Lucia answered dryly
while she looked at her nails. “You don’t agree?” “I wouldn’t know. I never saw her fight. I’m not
particularly fond of seeing people getting killed just for kicks. As a matter of
fact, I don’t approve of women who take on a sword. It’s not natural.” And
with a bland nod she added: “No offence.” Xena cooly met her eye. “None taken. Although I
don’t think Anna had the luxury of choosing her way of life.” “Even after all those years of being under your
care?” Lucia clenched her jaws and there was a hostile look in
her eyes. “You cannot change someone’s core. Let me tell you a story... When
Anna was ten she thrust a fork in my cook’s hand. He was never able to use
that hand again.” “Maybe she had reason to attack him.” “You didn’t like her very much, did you?” It was like Lucia got a grip on herself and she
carefully chose her words. “She’s a warrior woman. What’s to like about
someone like that?” “I’m sure you mean no offence?” Lucia smiled but said nothing. “Any idea why she left?” “She was a woman. A woman always knows when she’s
no longer capable of defeating the competition.” Xena cocked her eyebrows. “Are we talking about the
battlefield or her love life?” Lucia looked away from the piercing blue eyes and
muttered: “I think I already wasted too much time on discussing the subject.
It’s spoiling my appetite.” Hours later Gabrielle stormed into their room. Xena was
busy with packing her bag, but when she looked up there was an amused smile on
her lips. “How did your talk with Claudius go?” “What do you think? I had to talk for hours about
rolling heads and spilling blood. Thank you very much for bringing me into that
position!” “You’re a bard. It’s your job to tell stories.” Gabrielle folded her arms. “Yes, but slashers are not
my speciality. And besides, I thought you didn’t want me to talk to him?!” Xena shrugged her shoulders. “I changed my mind.” “Why?” “I saw the way he looked at you. And how his wife
looked at the two of you. There’s no better source than a jealous woman.” Gabrielle frowned. “You think Anna had an affair with
Claudius?” “At least Lucia considered her as a threat. And
it’s clear she doesn’t want us to find her. Did you get anything interesting
out of the general?” The bard sat down on the bed. “Not really. One odd
thing though... Did you know Anna was afraid of horses? She even refused to ride
them.” “Really...” Xena looked puzzled for a while, but
then she seemed as determined as ever. “We’ll leave first thing in the
morning.” Gabrielle read the sign on the small building. “Harbor
master.” She gave Xena a furtive look and said: “You really wanna go
inside? I mean, all the locals say they haven’t seen Anna. Maybe she didn’t
get on board of a ship after all.” “Don’t get your hopes up.” “I’m only saying you could be wrong about this.” Xena shook her head. “We’re in Greece. The locals
will never rat on someone who’s hunted down by the Romans.” “The harbor master is Greek too. What makes you think
he’s going to give her away.” “My experience. I’ve never met a harbor master who
wasn’t corrupt. And if money doesn’t do the trick, I always have these,”
and Xena triumphantly waved her forefingers at the bard. The fat man who sat behind his desk didn’t even look
up when they entered. He was still scribbling something down in his logbook,
while he gestured his visitors to sit down. “One moment, will ya. Almost
finished.” Xena looked at Gabrielle with a bored look, but waited
just the same. After a couple of minutes he put his quill in a holder and
finally looked up to them. Obviously he hadn’t expected female company. “The market is over there ladies.” And he showed
his toothless grin. The warrior princess put up her most charming smile.
“One more remark like that and you will
be at that market. Selling your own body parts as bait!” Suddenly she was all
stony-faced again: “Now when did the last ship leave for Batavia?” The harbor master blinked his eyes in amazement, but
recaptured his senses quickly. “The North Sea is Viking area. No shipper is
going to risk being raided. Gaul, that’s as far as our ships will go.” “When did the last ship leave?” “A week ago. Why?” Xena ignored his question. “Any special cargo
on board?” The harbor master wiped a bit of sweat off his forehead
and looked down, while he rolled up a scroll: “Just the usual. Olives, wine,
grain.” “Are you sure there wasn’t a lady on board?” and
she slowly placed a hand on her chakram. His eyes flashed between Xena’s chakram and her
piercing eyes. “A woman on board brings bad luck,” he laughed nervously. Xena got a little closer. “Was there a blonde woman
on board, yes or no?” “A-a-alright,” he gargled. “Alright what?” “Yes... there... was a woman. T-t-take it off...
take... off.” Xena pinched him again and he dropped on the floor. As
the man slowly recovered, he found Xena and Gabrielle still standing in front of
him. “I told you everything,” he gasped: “What more do you want?” Xena threw a pouch on his table. “That should be
enough for the next cruise to Gaul. Make it all inclusive. My friend here likes
to be pampered.” Two weeks had passed. The wind had been kind to them
and they would soon reach the coast of Gaul. While a southern breeze bulged the
sail, Xena did some yoga exercises. Gabrielle watched her friend from a
distance, admiring her calm posture and strong features. On an impulse she
decided to join her and so she sat down in front of her. With her eyes closed
she held up her palms just like Xena did and meditated quietly. Until she heard
the rhythmic banging of the ropes against the masts, the repeating sound of
waves crushing on the bow, the soft squeaking of the sails. The longer she
listened, the more she was captivated by the rhythm. It was hard to ignore. Hard
not to move. If not impossible... She made a small circle with her right
shoulder, then with her left. Yeah, that
felt good. She swayed her hips on a melody that only she seemed to hear,
while her hands sensually danced in the air. It wasn’t long before Xena opened
her eyes. “What do you think you’re doing?” “I’m in deep spiritual contact with myself.
Especially with my lower chakra’s,” the bard answered sultry while she bent
her upper body - giving Xena a fantastic view on her feminineity. “I can see that. So can the whole crew.” “Let them...” Her green eyes breathed desire. “They’re drewling, Gabrielle!” As the bard continued her soundless dance she
whispered: “At least they show their
appreciation.” “Maybe I’m not easy to read,” Xena replied in an
icy tone. “Are you saying this dance pleases the warrior
princess?” Gabrielle smiled seductively, before she slowly bent backwards
until the back of her head rested on her heels.
“It would PLEASE me a lot more, if you would draw a
little less attention!” “I would... if I could,” it sounded with
difficulty. Xena lifted an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” “I’m kind of stuck here. Can you help me? As in
getting up.” Suddenly Xena was all smile. “Serves you right,”
she said while looking down on her friend’s purple face. “Ouch, that must
hurt. Told you that Kama Sutra stuff wasn’t meant for normal people.” Gabrielle gave her a furious look. But understanding
her dependency she quickly put up her sweetest face. “Just help? Please?” It was amazing how quickly they all found something
useful to do... Below deck Xena gently laid down her friend on her
belly. “You really got to watch out what you’re doing,” she said while her
fingers searched Gabrielle’s lower back. “Yeah well, I thought I was more flexible than
that.” “I was talking about dancing in front of those
sailors!” “Oh them...” She looked over her shoulder and gave
Xena a defiant smirk. “Surely you’re able to defend my honor?” Xena smiled at her ironically. “What honor?” “Ha-ha,” the bard replied. “And there I was
thinking I could depend on you.” “You can depend on my common sense. Who’s gonna
steer the ship when I have to knock out half the crew?” The bard bit her lip. “You got a point there.
Alright... I won’t do it again. Not that I could anyway. I think I tore up a
muscle or something.” “Too bad...” The warrior princess’ smile was now
warm and sincere, while she rubbed the sore spot. “Why? Did you had something in mind?” Xena softly stroke the skin underneath her fingers
while she answered teasingly: “No sense in telling you now. It would only make
you feel worse now that you’re injured.” “I have one
strained muscle, the rest of my body works perfectly fine.” Xena patted her on the back and got up. “If you’re
sensible, you give it a rest. Besides, I don’t want to stir up the crew more
than we already did.” Gabrielle rolled over and caressed Xena’s thigh.
“Sure I can’t persuade you?” The warrior princess watched Gabrielle’s hand dive
under her leather skirt. “Sure you don’t want this?” Xena’s lips parted. The colour of her eyes seemed to
change into a deep kind of blue. Gabrielle’s fingertips found soft fabric, and held
her breath while she slid underneath it. Suddenly Xena grabbed her wrist. “Let me get back on
that. We have visitors.” Before Gabrielle knew it, Xena had ran upstairs.
Towards the loud noises on the upper deck... A slender warship with a huge dragon on its bow lay
alongside their vessel. A dozen Vikings jumped on board, while they roared and
swung their weapons. Xena was only just in time to kick a toothless Viking in
the stomach, before he could thrust his axe into her chest. She took some time
to look him over, said: “Boy, you’re ugly,” and punched him on his big fat
nose. He dropped limp on the ground. “That’s better. Don’t get in my face
again.” Seconds later she found herself surrounded by four
raiders, ready to strike. But the satisfied grins on their faces changed into
surprise as Xena blandly ducked. “Wait a second, guys,” she said in their
Nordic language, “my lace is undone.” And then things happened with the speed of light.
Turning on her left foot, she used her right leg as a scythe and mowed the men
down as if they were corn. She swiftly got on her feet and looked down on them.
“That was fun! Wanna do that again?” The Vikings got up with difficulty and boiling with
anger they came at her. By that time Xena had grabbed her sword and swung it at
her first adversary. He had trouble intercepting the blow and before he knew it
she had knocked him out with a butt of the head. Right away a second barbarian
stormed at her with a big bludgeon. Xena probed the situation and suddenly gave
her sword to another Viking. “Hold that, will ya.” She flipped in the air
and landed just behind her attacker. While he looked in surprise where the
warrior princess had gone, she patted him on the back. As he turned she gave him
a devastating right jab. The Viking sunk almost immediately to his knees.
Contently smiling Xena walked over to his flabbergasted mate, took the sword he
was still holding, said “thanks” and turned her back on him. Finally the man
snapped out of his amazement. The shiny metal of his heaved axe reflected
sunlight on Xena’s black hair and he secretly smiled... The kill would be his.
Little did he know. With no warning at all, Xena slammed the back of her hand in
his face. When she heard the expected drop behind her, she muttered: “Love
that move.” Meanwhile Gabrielle had arrived on deck. When she saw
the boat crawling with Vikings, she quickly grabbed her sais. Just in time, for
a huge man stood before her. He had an enormous axe in one hand, a wooden shield
in the other. The bard didn’t give it another thought and threw a sai at him,
aiming for his leg. But the giant swiftly adjusted his shield. The dagger still
vibrated in the wood when Gabrielle threw the other sai. But also this one was
intercepted without much difficulty. The Viking dropped his shield and pointed
his axe at her. Nervously the bard looked around her, but there was nothing she
could use as a weapon. Suddenly she spotted a rope that was tied to the rail.
Most of the crew used its ragged tail to clean their behinds after they had done
their business... Quickly she pulled the rope up and swung it above her head.
With disgust the Viking watched the dirty tassel. “What’s the matter? Scared of a little pooh?” The Viking backed away, but Gabrielle lashed out with
her rope and hit him right in the face. He almost threw up as he tried to get
away from the stinking tassel. But the bard lashed out time and again, until he
finally jumped overboard. When Gabrielle looked around, their vessel was strewn
with unconscious and dead Vikings. Xena was stashing her sword away, when
Gabrielle called out to her. “Did you see that?” Xena pulled up her nose. “Yeah. Nice work, Gabs.
You’re probably the first warrior who conquered a Viking with Greek shit.” Gabrielle suddenly remembered she was still dragging
the dripping rope along and quickly threw it overboard. “Yeah, well. I
couldn’t find anything else at the time.” “Don’t apologize. I admire your creativity.” Xena
lifted her up and carried her towards the hatch that led to below deck. Gabrielle sighed blissfully. “Xena, you keep
surprising me... I didn’t know you were so romantic.” But Xena didn’t smile and threw her overboard. “Me
neither.” Gasping and spluttering the bard came to the surface.
“What... in... Zeus’
name... What
was… that for?!” Xena smilingly threw her a piece of soap. “Didn’t
your mother tell you to always wash up after you use the little girls room?” A moment later a soaking Gabrielle walked into their
cabin, her face red with anger. Her glaring eyes were set on Xena, who stopped
mending the tear in her leather garment and slowly looked up to her. Gabrielle
narrowed her eyes as she wrenched her skirt. A jet of water fell down. But still
no word. “Well... you look simply... splashing.” “You are so dead,” the bard hissed. She emptied her boot and half a gallon of seawater
splashed on the wooden floor. Then she took off the rest of her wet clothes.
Xena’s face showed a slight concern that maybe this time she had really upset
Gabrielle. So she got up on her feet and offered her a blanket. The bard
snatched it from her hands. “You’re welcome,” Xena mumbled. With a face that still said ‘I’ll get you for
this’, Gabrielle lay down on the hay and turned her back on the warrior. Xena squatted behind her and said on a lighthearted
tone: “How about a new pair of boots when we get to shore?” Gabrielle turned in anger. “You really think you can
buy me over?” Xena raised her hands in defense and quickly said:
“Of course not!” “A romantic play and we have a deal.” “Fine.” “Good.” Finally they arrived in the harbor of Gesoriacum. A thriving city by the looks of the countless cargo
ships. Gabrielle and Xena went straight to the tavern on the docks. While the
warrior princess opened the door she said: “Let’s see what we can find
out.” The room was filled with smoke and loud talk, but you
could hear a pin drop when the two women entered. “Some things never change,” Xena said under her
breath as she walked over to the counter. She showed Anna’s picture to the
bartender. “Seen this woman?” He didn’t even look, but answered cooly: “What’s
it to you?” “I’m looking for her.” A diabolic sparkle lit up his dark brown eyes. “So is
the whole Roman army.” Xena and Gabrielle gave each other a quick look.
Apparently news had traveled fast. The Gaulic man brushed his long dark hair backwards and
poured himself a drink. “You’re too late. She was here when she stumbled
into a group of soldiers.” “Was she captured?” Gabrielle asked. A couple of the customers started to laugh, but the
bartender kept a straight face. “You don’t know much about her do you? That
woman is a gladiatrix. She fought in our arena years ago... People are still
talking about it!” Gabrielle said: “So... what happened?” “She killed all six of them. That’s what
happened.” “Where is she now?” Xena asked impatiently. “Why should I tell you?” “Look! If the Romans are on her trail, she’s on her
own. Help me find her and she stands a fair chance. I’m on her side.” For a moment the innkeeper seemed to hesitate, but then
he said: “Sorry. Don’t know where she is.” Xena placed her hands on the bar and came dangerously
close to his face: “I think you do.” There was no fear in his eyes. He threw away a cloth
and said: “Take my advice and leave.” From the corner of her eyes Gabrielle could see several
men get up. “Xena, let’s go. We’ll find another way.” Suddenly the bartender burst out: “Wait a minute! Are
you Xena?” “Yes.” “As in Xena, the warrior princess?” “Yesss...” The bartender slammed his fist on the counter and
roared: “Why didn’t you say so?! You conquered Caesar in Gaul! You’re a
hero!” Xena clearly didn’t feel too comfortable under the
cheers and the rough pats on her back. “Right, now about Anna...” The bartender was all friendliness now. “She took the
smugglers trail a week ago. I will show you first thing in the morning.”
Gabrielle wore her new boots when she stepped out of
the small shop. “A perfect fit. That’s what I love about shopping... It’s
so rewarding,” she sighed blissfully. Xena stretched her back and moaned: “Speak for
yourself! Why didn’t you buy those boots when we were here four hours ago?!” Gabrielle gave her a puzzled look. “Because it was
the first shop we visited.” “So?!” “You never buy in the first store. That’s an
unwritten shop law.” “Have you been talking to Aphrodite lately?” Xena
asked with a scrutinizing look. “Of course not! But maybe you should sometimes...”
She grined at her soulmate and said teasingly: “You know, get in touch with
your feminineity.” “I’d rather get in touch with a warm bath. My feet
are killing me.” “Not just yet. You have not completely paid your
dues.” Xena forced herself to smile. “Right. A play.” The bard looked at her maliciously. “Not just a play,
Xena. A romantic play.” “Well, I don’t know if we’re fortunate enough to choose. This is not Rome or Athens.” “We’ll see. Look!” Gabrielle pointed at a wall.
“Let’s check out those posters.” Xena shuffled towards the wall and looked the flyers
over. She nodded at one of them. “How about that one?” The bard peered at the poster. “Four Hangings And A Crucifixion... Doesn’t sound romantic to me,
Xena.” Xena shrugged her shoulders. “All depends on why they
were killed. Maybe they died for some innocent virgin or something. We could
check it out and...” But the bard shook her head. “I don’t think so,
Xena.” “How about Return
Of The Bacheye 2?” Gabrielle pulled up her nose. “Nah, I saw the first
part and it sucked.” The warrior sniggered. “Isn’t that just the
point?” But the bard wasn’t to be swayed. “Forget it. I
want to see a real play about real people with real emotions.” “As in real boring,” Xena answered sulkingly. But Gabrielle ignored the remark, for she finally
spotted a play that she liked. “There! From
Thebes With Love, a story about a young woman who loses her heart to a man
who has been turned into a willow by the hands of the jealous goddess Hera.” Xena raised one eyebrow. “She falls in love with a
tree? That’s not romantic, Gabrielle. That’s sick!” “It’s about unconditional love, Xena. She loves his
being, even when they will never be together. It’s so dramatic!” Xena had trouble not to yawn. “Listen... why don’t
you go and I’ll do some more inquiries.” Wearing an amused smile Gabrielle said: “You
promised, Xena. And as my mother used to say: someone who promises and will not
do, is equal to a skinny chicken that cackles but does not lay.” “Your mother said that? Hm, that does explain where
your slightly deranged character comes from...” Gabrielle chuckled. “Stop whining. We’ve got a show
to catch.” “Goodie.” Two hours later they walked out of the theatre. Xena
snapped her neck and said: “That wasn’t so bad.” Gabrielle gave her a pedantic look. “It was
terrible!” “I kind of liked it.” And while she made wild
gestures with her arms: “Especially when that tree man smashed her head with
his branches.” The bard shook her head. “How could they do that? I
know the play and there was never a scene like that. It was supposed to be about
platonic love.” “Platonic love doesn’t sell tickets, Gabrielle.
Maybe they wanted to spice it up a little bit. You know, to avoid the audience
from falling asleep.” Gabrielle gave her a playful push. “Philistine!” “Hey, I wasn’t the one who picked out this play.” “I was deluded by the poster,” the bard said
indignantly, “they should have mentioned the blood and the violence.” “Yeah, they should have. It would be a hit.” They arrived at the inn and walked straight to their
room. Gabrielle rubbed her arms and shivered. “It’s
cold.” She quickly took off her boots and jumped under the thick blanket that
covered their bed. Xena peered at her and said: “Aren’t you going to
undress?” “I’ve got to warm up first. Come here.” The warrior slipped out of her armory and laid down
next to the bard. Gabrielle cuddled up against Xena’s body and whispered:
“Mmm, that’s nice.” Carefully she slid her cold feet under Xena’s warm
legs, expecting her usual reaction: a horrified look and a remark like: Get
those icicles away from me! But Xena hardly reacted. She just stared at the cracked
ceiling. “Something on your mind?” Absent-mindedly Xena murmured: “Just practical
things. We’ll have to buy horses and some warm clothes. It’s freezing up
north.” Gabrielle fondled Xena’s stomach. “Are you sure
there’s nothing else you’re worried about?” “Is it Anna?” The warrior still had her eyes on the ceiling and
answered dully: “No. Now try to get some sleep, Gabrielle. We have a long day
ahead of us.” Xena adjusted her cushion and laid down again. Eyes
closed and in no way receptive of anymore conversation. The silence between them was heavy. Gabrielle listened
to Xena’s breathing... too quiet, too controlled. And therefore she knew that
Xena did the same thing. Listening to her breathing, waiting for... something. Gabrielle ignored her hurt feelings and wrapped her arm
around Xena’s waist while gently kissing her shoulder. Soon she felt Xena’s
hand slip into hers. A smile play with her lips, but it could not take away the
darkness that had fallen upon her heart. Two days had gone by since the bartender had showed
them the smugglers trail. It was noon and even though the sun shone, it
couldn’t chase away the cold. “Anna is still on foot,” Xena said while she
checked some prints in the mud. “If we keep up this pace, we’ll catch up
with her in two days.” “I still can’t believe it,” Gabrielle said.
“She must have looked death in the eye almost every day and yet she’s scared
of horses.” Xena mounted her horse and replied: “I remember you
had a thing against horses too.” “I wasn’t scared of Argo,” the bard objected.
“I think she had a thing against me.” “Nonsense. Argo had a complex character. It wasn’t
easy to win her trust.” “Like owner, like horse.” Xena laughed, but suddenly her expression changed as
she scowled the horizon. The kind of look Gabrielle had seen so often when
danger was near. “What’s wrong?” The warrior gnashed: “Corpses.” She immediately kicked her horse and dashed off,
followed by Gabrielle. Soon they saw at least ten Roman soldiers lying on the
path. Their blood gave the mud a sickening colour and the stench of their
rotting corpses was almost unbearable. Shock was written all over Gabrielle’s face as she
looked at the massacre. “You think this is Anna’s work?” Xena jumped off of her horse and examined some of the
soldiers. “Whoever did this knew what he or she was doing. These wounds are
all deadly.” She squatted down when she saw some footprints and got up again. The bard looked down on her friend. “It was her,
right?” Xena clenched her teeth. “Judging by the size of
those boots... Yes.” That night they made fire in the damp forest. It was
hard to find dry wood, but finally a little fire was burning. Gabrielle warmed
her hands, but nevertheless a shiver ran down her spine. She pricked up her
ears, but heard nothing disturbing. Still, she couldn’t shake off her fear.
“Maybe we shouldn’t make fire.” “Don’t worry. She will try to get to the northern
border as fast as she can. She’s not gonna wait for us.” The bard looked at her through the flames. “Have you
thought about what you’re going to do when we find her?” There was an immediate change of expression. Xena
narrowed her eyes and her voice sounded blank: “I’ll cross that bridge when
I come to it.” “Maybe that will be too late. What if she recognizes
you and tries to kill you?” “You’re not doubting my fighting skills are you?”
“I’m serious, Xena.” The warrior princess threw another log on the fire.
“Let’s find her first, shall we?” “In other words: this discussion is over...”
Gabrielle buried her face in her hands. “Xena, I have every right to know what
we’re up against.” “Do you trust me?” “Of course I do. But that’s not the point. Why
can’t we talk about it?” “Because there’s no point in discussing what if’s!
I’ll deal with Anna when the time comes.” “Fine.” Gabrielle got up and crawled under her
blanket. Xena stared at her for a while and hung her head.
“I’m not asking you to understand.” The bard swallowed. “I do understand. But that
doesn’t make it right.” The next morning they hardly spoke to each other. Last
night’s conversation still lingered on between them, despite of the casual
contacts. A slight touch of the hand, a furtive look... So insignificant and yet
so full of love and remorse. I shouldn’t
push her, Gabrielle thought. Not until
this is all over. She peered into the forest and again an uneasy feeling
got hold of her. “There’s something about this place. I don’t like
it.” Xena nodded. “Get off your horse. We’ll go on foot
from here.” They had barely touched ground when they saw someone running
through the bushes. It went so fast that the bard didn’t know if it was a
woman or a man. Whoever it was, it was definitely someone blonde. Xena took her
sword. But before she could make a move, she felt a sharp object against her
throat. “Drop the sword,” it sounded behind her. An icy
female voice. Xena’s blade fell on the ground, while Gabrielle
slowly turned around. She immediately recognized the woman from the poster. It
was Anna! Her fair hair was tied together with a leather strap and she wore a
tight garment made from suede, leather boots and a long cloak of bearskin. Her
big blue eyes were deceivingly childlike, for her voice was hard and commanding.
“Stop staring! Take those daggers from your boots and throw them away. Very
slowly, or your friend here is history.” Gabrielle did what she was asked while she tried to
make eye contact with Xena. But the warrior seemed to look straight through her. “Good girl. Now..,” and she gave a piece of rope to
Xena, “tie the blonde one up.” Xena took Gabrielle’s hands and tied them together. “Tighter!” When Xena pulled the rope harder, Gabrielle’s face
was wrenched with pain. “That’s better. Now... slowly turn around.” Anna’s face turned white as a sheet when she saw the
woman before her. “That’s not possible. It can’t be! They told me you were
dead!” “They were wrong.” Anna pushed the dagger harder against her throat and
hissed: “You can’t fool me. If Xena was still alive she should be in her
fifties by now!” Gabrielle cleared her throat. “She’s telling you
the truth. Ares, the god of war, made us sleep for 25 years.” “I stopped believing in fairytales a long time ago.
And besides, I wasn’t talking to you.” Anna fixed her gaze on Xena again.
“For the last time... who are you?!” Xena clenched her jaws. “You should know. I sold you.
Remember?” Anna’s eyes seemed to change colour and turned dark.
With a withering look she lashed out with the hilt of her blade... It had such a
devastating power that Xena lost conscience and smacked to the ground. Anna tied Xena and Gabrielle together by their necks
and feet. As soon as Xena woke, she took them to a secret hide-out. A hollow oak
with room for at least four sitting people. But Anna wasn’t planning on
sharing the shelter. She tied both women to a tree, and started to prepare some
food. The wind was picking up and Anne frowningly looked up to the sky. A small
drop fell on the palm of her hand. And another. Soon the light drizzle changed
into a pouring rain. Anna sighed and walked over to the tree. She quickly untied
Gabrielle and pushed her to the shelter. “What about Xena? You can’t leave her out there.” “You want to join her in the rain?” Gabrielle kept silent. “I thought as much.” The bard looked at Xena, who was now soaking wet.
Gabrielle tried to stop the shivering. She was cold to the bone, but the thought
of her soulmate being tortured by the dreadful rain made her forget her own
misery. She searched for Anna’s eyes and when she finally met them she
pleaded: “She’ll freeze to death. At least give her my cloak.” “The last time I showed her mercy, she sold me to the
Romans.” The bard’s heart sank. Anna had said it so
indifferently, and yet every word had cut through her like a knife. How
could she defend Xena to this woman? But Gabrielle picked up her courage. “What she did to you was cruel and heartless. And I
understand the resentment you must feel for her. But Xena has changed. She wants
to help you.” “Does she now. Well, I guess that changes
everything.” Anna got up and went outside. In the pouring rain she squatted down next to Xena
whose teeth were chattering. “I hear you want to help me fight the Romans.” Xena met her eye and spoke with blue-turned lips:
“Yes, I do.” “What makes you think I need you?” “You cannot win this battle alone.” The gladiatrix laughed. “Well, if you don’t mind me
saying so, I was rather doing fine on my own. And I certainly don’t need help
from a warrior who gets herself tied up. So much for your fighting skills.” Xena didn’t bat an eye. “You were tied up for 25
years. So much for your theory.” Anna’s eyes spit fire, and while the rain dripped
from her chin she shouted: “Shut up, or I swear I’ll kill you!” “If you think that’s going to help you.” Anna stared at her for a while and then said
stony-faced: “Let me think that one over. Have a nice night, Xena.” Gabrielle didn’t get a wink of sleep. As soon as
light chased off the darkness, she looked at Xena. Her eyes were shut and her
face looked like a whitish kind of blue. Only the vapor of her breath in the
cold morning revealed that she was still alive. When Gabrielle turned, she saw
that Anna’s eyes were on her. “Let me go to her,” the bard pleaded. The gladiatrix yawned and stretched her arms.
“She’ll be alright.” The bard pulled on her ropes and screamed: “You want
to kill her? Then start with me!” Anna came real close, a fixed smile on her face.
“Aren’t you the loyal one. She does that to people, doesn’t she? Make them
go all soft on her. You do everything to help her because she makes you believe
she cares. Right? Until she slams the door in your face. Believe me, I’ve been
there.” Gabrielle lowered her eyes. “I know a different
Xena.” “Oh, I heard all about her heroic acts. But to me she’ll always be a betrayer. I’m sure
you’ll understand.” The gladiatrix got on her feet and walked over to Xena
who was still asleep. She took a bucket and threw ice cold water in her face.
Xena woke up with a start and looked at her with red stained eyes. “Enjoyed your beauty sleep?” Anna asked viciously. Xena didn’t reply. “Sorry for waking you up so harshly. But I thought
you might not want to miss breakfast.” She walked back to the hollow tree, took a juicy piece
of poultry from her bag and held it in front of the bard’s mouth. “Here,
eat.” Gabrielle narrowed her eyes. “Are you going to give
some to Xena?” “I’ll think about it.” Gabrielle hesitatingly took a bite. Anna waited until
the bard had swallowed the meat. Then she stuffed the rest in her own mouth. Gabrielle shook her head. “I should have known...” “Don’t worry. Xena can have the bone.” And she
threw it before Xena’s feet. Gabrielle ferociously tried to free herself, but there
was no way she could pull it off. Tears ran over her cheeks as she jerked on the
ropes once more, with the sole result that blood dripped from her wrists. “It’s okay, Gabrielle,” she heard Xena say with a
broken voice. “I’m not hungry anyway.” Anna slowly walked towards the warrior princess. “Are
you trying to spoil my fun?” “I’m trying to calm down my friend.” The gladiatrix grabbed her by the hair. “Afraid I
might harm her?” “Yes.” Anna let go of her hair, clearly surprised by Xena’s
candid answer. “Well, that’s the difference between you and me. I don’t
hurt the innocent.” A pained smile covered Xena’s face. “Then let her
go.” “And give her a chance to free you? I don’t think
so.” “Then what ís your plan? It’s only a matter of
time before they find us.” “I wasn’t exactly planning on staying. We’ll
leave right away.” “Don’t be a fool. We will only slow you down.
Unless...” The gladiatrix gave her a condescending smile:
“Unless what?” “Unless you cut me loose and give me back my sword.
Together we can...” “Give it up, Xena.” “I can’t. I can’t let you die.” “Oh please, save that self sacrificing act for
her.” Anna nodded at Gabrielle. “She still believes in you. As for me... I
trusted you once and we both know what a mistake that was.” Anna was walking away when Xena called out to her.
“You think you caught me? I let you.” Anna stopped but didn’t turn. Xena went on. “That thing we saw in the bushes. That
was a blonde wig you catapulted away. I saw the sling between the two oaks. A
clever distraction... for a rookie.” Slowly the gladiatrix turned around. Her cheeks flushed
and a voice trembling from anger. “I don’t believe you.” “Then let’s get it over with,” Xena said. “Go
ahead and kill me.” Anna took out her sword and held it above Xena’s
head. “You think I’m not up to it? I’ve killed before - believe me.” “I count on it.” Anna slowly swung her sword… In the background Xena could hear Gabrielle scream, but
she kept her eyes nailed to Anna’s. Even when the sword came down and she felt
the cut... ... and the release of her hands. Xena and Gabrielle rode on their horses, while Anna
walked a little ahead. The bard peered at Xena and then asked the question that
had haunted her mind for hours. “Were you serious? Did you let her catch
us?” Xena drew in a long breath. “Yes.” “How could you do that?! She could have killed us.” The warrior gritted her reins. “She didn’t.” “But you couldn’t have known that!” Xena pulled her horse to a stop and shifted on her
saddle to look Gabrielle in the eye. “She’s not a killer, Gabrielle.” The bard couldn’t believe what she heard. “I’m
sure those dead Romans we passed along the way won’t agree.” “She had every right to kill them,” Xena replied.
“She fought for her freedom.” “And you think she wouldn’t want to kill the very
one person who took that away from her?” A shadow overcast Xena’s face and her eyes showed a
mixture of anger and hurt. “It was a gut feeling. Let’s leave it at that.” “Let’s not!” The bard’s face was red with
anger. “Next time your gut speaks to you, be sure to tell me. I’d like to
know it when my life’s on the line!” Gabrielle spurred her horse and rode off. It was almost dusk when Xena came riding alongside
Gabrielle. The bard looked aside and murmured: “Came to apologize?” “This isn’t the time, Gabrielle.” “Says who? By the gods, you’re so...” “Arrogant, self-centered and blunt, I know,” the
warrior princess replied hastily. “We’ll fight over this later, Gabrielle.
But right now we’re being watched.” Gabrielle took a deep breath. “How bad is it?” “Nothing we can’t handle. Gabrielle, I want you to
get off your horse and ask Anna for a rest.” The bard dismounted, but before she walked off, she
looked up to Xena and smirked: “You forgot unsociable.” A moment later Xena heard her shout: “Anna! We are
hungry. Can we rest a while?” The gladiatrix turned and walked casually towards them.
When she was in earshot Xena said: “We’ve got company.” Anna put down her bag and whispered: “I know. There
are seven of them in the bushes and one in that big oak behind you.” Xena pulled up an eyebrow. “Missed that one. Are you
ready?” “I’m always ready,” Anna answered. “And just a
little reminder: I’m keeping a close eye on you. One wrong movement and
you’re dead.” Suddenly all hell broke loose. Two Roman soldiers
dashed ragingly at Xena, while another threw himself at Gabrielle. Three men ran
towards Anna with drawn swords. But just before they reached her, she leaned on
the hilt of her blade and made a sideward cartwheel. Her attackers completely
missed and lost their balance. A fatal mistake. The gladiatrix immediately
lashed out and cut the throat of the soldier closest to her... A fountain of
blood flushed from his artery and he sank down to his knees. She didn’t wait
for the second soldier to come at her, but attacked him before he could blink an
eye. She kicked the sword out of his hands, punched him hard in the stomach and
then stabbed him in his unprotected chest. With a terrifying cry he collapsed.
The third soldier looked at her in fear, his sword trembling in his hands. But
Anna showed him no mercy: her dagger hit him right between the eyes. When the
gladiatrix checked how Xena and Gabrielle were doing, she smiled contently. No
help was needed there. Suddenly she heard a noise behind her. She ducked just in
time to avoid a Roman sword, jumped up and gored her opponent. As the soldier
tumbled to the ground, Anna became aware of another threat... She swiftly turned
and looked straight into the wild eyes of a young man. In a flash she saw the
short sword above his head, ready to slice her into little pieces. But then she
heard a soft crack... The expression of his eyes immediately changed from rage
into a deadly fear, until all light in them disappeared. His body stiffened and
with wide open eyes he plopped down. She didn’t have to look down to know that
Xena’s chakram had entered his spine. With an angry face Anna pulled out the
round weapon and gave it back to Xena. “Why did you do that? I had him.” “Of course,” the warrior princess smiled. “I just
had him first.” That night Gabrielle and Anna were sitting by a small
fire, while Xena was busy wiping away their footprints. “Maybe you can ride with us tomorrow,” the bard
said. “We’d travel a lot quicker on horseback.” “You’re not getting me on a horse. I hate them.” The bard poked in the fire and watched how the tip of
her stick slowly turned red. “I think they’re beautiful creatures. They’re
so elegant and strong.” And as she looked aside: “Have you never ridden a
horse?” Anna stared into the flames and whispered: “Only
once.” “What happened?” The blonde woman’s expression turned grim. “Ask
Xena.” Gabrielle suddenly understood the cause of Anna’s
dislike towards horses. She cleared her throat and tried to catch Anna’s eye.
When she finally did, she said softly: “Xena told me she took you out for a
ride... and sold you. Horses remind you of that, don’t they?” “Something like that.” The bard watched her with growing sympathy. “You must
have been so scared.” For the first time she saw a soft glow in Anna’s
eyes. Even her voice sounded warmer. “I don’t think I was. If I felt
anything it was surprise. I couldn’t believe she would leave me behind. With
them.” She took something out of her pocket and stared at it. “I even kept a
button that I tore from her coat when she pushed me into their hands. I
couldn’t throw it away...” She showed it to Gabrielle. “Sounds dumb,
doesn’t it?” “Not at all. You were a child.” They were quiet for a while. Then Gabrielle said:
“You had the chance to kill her. Why didn’t you?” Anna smiled but her eyes didn’t. “I’ve seen my
share of death and destruction. Violence isn’t going to make the pain go away.
I’ve tried that fight after fight after fight.” “Can you forgive her?” “I’m not a saint, Gabrielle. She put me through
hell.” “I know,” it sounded behind them. It was Xena. Her
eyes were hidden in the shadow, but her voice revealed enough of the emotion
behind them. “I took everything away from you. Your youth, your trust in
people, your innocence... I can never undo that. But I can give you back your
freedom. And I will do whatever it takes.”
Anna seemed to look right through her. There was no
emotion in her face, nor in her voice. “Do as you like. Just don’t expect me
to thank you.” She got up and threw her the button. “Your goodbye
gift. I don’t need it anymore.” And she walked off. Xena stared at the button without saying a word. “Are you okay?” the bard whispered. The warrior princess woke from her thoughts and grabbed
her sword. Absent-mindedly she said “yes” and sat down. She took a
grindstone and started to sharpen her blade. Gabrielle lay her hand on Xena’s arm. “Are you
sure?” “I said yes, didn’t I?!” the warrior princess
snapped at her. Startled Gabrielle pulled back her hand. Xena dropped the stone and sighed: “I’m sorry.” “It’s okay.” “No, it’s not.” Xena got up and looked
remorsefully down on her soulmate. “I’m not very good company right now. I
might as well brush the horses. Won’t be long.” Gabrielle nodded and watched her leave. When Xena returned, Gabrielle and Anna already had gone
to bed. They lay on their bedrolls, a small fire between them. Anna was sleeping
under her furry coat, the bard was tucked away under a thick woolen plaid. Xena
unbuckled her breastplate and put her sword next to the bedroll. When she laid
down next to Gabrielle, she folded her arms behind her head, deliberately
knocking Gabrielle’s skull with her elbow. “Sorry. I didn’t wake you up,
did I?” Gabrielle opened her green eyes. “Are you a beautiful
princess who will free me from my ungainly partner?” “Nope. I’m the ungainly one.” The bard sighed. “Then I must be awake.” Xena grined. “Sorry.” But then the smile on her
face disappeared. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.” The bard rolled on her side. “I already told you.
It’s okay. I understand how difficult this must be for you.” “Still... I shouldn’t take it out on you. You
don’t deserve that.” Gabrielle caressed Xena’s face. “I’m a big girl.
I’m worried about you though... There’s so much you keep inside. I can’t
help you if I don’t know how you feel.”
Xena blinked a couple of times, before she looked away.
Finally she whispered: “She scares me.” “Why? If she wanted to kill you, she would have done
it a long time ago.” “I know. But something’s not right. All that anger
she must feel for me... How can she stand to even look at me?” “Maybe she’s trying to get on with her life.” “After everything I’ve done to her? I would have
made her pay.” Gabrielle propped herself up on an elbow. “She’s
not you, Xena. She said it herself: she’s not after revenge.” “She also said she isn’t a saint. Just think about
it. There’s more than 25 years of build-up anger inside of her. Maybe she can
fool herself, but she’s not fooling me.” The bard sighed and laid down again. “What do you
want to do? Kick it out of her?” Xena didn’t answer. And after a while Gabrielle fell
asleep. After a days walk they made camp on a sheltered spot on
the outskirts of the forest. The warrior princess had just sent out Gabrielle to
hunt. While Anna rested her tired feet on her bedroll, Xena was collecting
firewood. After a while she had a pile of wood, but she didn’t made
preparations to start a fire. Instead she suddenly drew her sword and rested its
tip at the gladiatrix’ chest. “Don’t move a muscle,” she grunted at the
snoozing woman. Anna stared at her. “What is this?!” Xena smiled at her viciously. “What does it look
like? You’re in trouble.” Anna tried to get up, but Xena’s sword cut into her
soft flesh. “Now what did I tell you? Don’t move! Wouldn’t want to damage the goods.” Anna lay down again and smirked. “I see... You made a
deal with Claudius.” Xena’s eyes sparkled with pleasure. “A 10.000
dinars deal to be precise.” The smile on her face disappeared when she
gestured Anna with her sword. “Now get up!” The gladiatrix slowly got on her feet, a puzzled look
on her face. “Something’s not right... I could have killed you. Why risk
that if you wanted to bring me in.” “What can I say, I’m a daredevil. I like to
play...” She grined. “I can’t believe you bought that crap for the second
time. Battling for good, playing my guilt... I even cried. I liked that part.” For a moment Anna held her breath and the knuckles of
her clenched hands turned white. But then she slowly shook her head. “What
game are you playing now, Xena? I don’t believe you.” “Really.” Xena gave her a right jab, which knocked
her opponent down to the ground. “How about now?” Blood dripped on Anna’s chin. She wiped it off and
got up again. “Is Gabrielle in on this?” Xena laughed. “She’s good isn’t she? Those
innocent green eyes can fool anyone. Now... turn around and put your hands
behind your back.” Anna did what she was asked, but just when Xena wanted
to tie her wrists, Anna kicked her head backwards, hitting Xena right in the
face. For a moment the warrior princess was dazed. And Anna wasn’t about to
give her time to recuperate. She hit her hard with her right fist on the chin,
followed by a devastating kick in her kidneys. The air was sucked out of her
lungs and Xena doubled up in pain. But the gladiatrix wasn’t finished yet. She
gave her an upper cut, which made Xena bent backwards. Blood was all over her
face, but she didn’t bring her hands up to defend herself. Anna lashed out
again and hit her on her jaw. Xena fell and stayed down... “Come
on! Get up!” Anna screamed while she kicked her in the side. “What’s the matter
with you? You
can do better than this!” But Xena let the gladiatrix kick her again. And
again. Anna pulled her up on her hair and for seconds she
looked her straight in the eye. Abruptly she released her and walked off. Xena got up with difficulty. “What is this? Are you
walking away from a fight?!” Anna turned and grunted: “This is not a fight… This
is all about you and your guilt, isn’t it? Well, did it work? Do you feel
better now that I’ve beaten you half to death?” Xena spit out some blood. “This is not about me.” “Oh, I see. You thought it would make me
feel better?!” Xena lowered her eyes. “You must feel so much hatred
for me. I just thought...” Anna interrupted her harshly: “You thought wrong. I
feel nothing for you. My world doesn’t revolve around you, Xena. Not
anymore.” She picked up Xena’s sword and threw it before her feet. “If you
so desperately want to help me, than be the best warrior you can be. I don’t
need the guilt trip!” The light in the forest was already dying. It was
harder to see things, but this was the time that the wildlife came to life.
Gabrielle kept her sai firmly in her hand while she peered into the woods. There
were sounds everywhere. A sparrow that pricked its bill in search of juicy
worms. A squirrel that nibbled on a beechnut. Tiny hooves that made the leaves
rustle. The bard didn’t move a muscle but kept hidden behind a great oak. And
there it was... a little wild boar. It moved right towards her as it rooted up
the earth. It had no idea she was there. The wind came from the north and so the
boar could not pick up her scent. Gabrielle lifted up her arm and aimed her
dagger at the little pig. If she threw it now the kill was hers. She knew that.
But something got in the way... She stared at his little nose, the tiny stripes
on his back, his short tail. By the gods,
she thought, he’s so cute. But then
she shook herself up and aimed again. Xena’s depending on me, I can’t go back and tell her I took pity on
a perfectly edible prey. But the piglet had to spoil it by wagging his tiny
tail when it found a perfect root. The bard got all soft and put the dagger
down... “I can’t do it,” she moaned. The piglet immediately pricked up its
ears and dashed off. “Xena’s going to kill me,” Gabrielle sighed as she
turned. “That is... if they don’t get to me first.” She stared into the dark eyes of a gigantic wild boar.
And he wasn’t alone. She was facing a group of at least ten adult specimen
with dangerously long tusks. And by the looks of the upright hair in their
necks, they didn’t just want to wag their tales at her. “Hi there, little
fellows. I’m taking a little step back,” and she did. But the pack came
threateningly closer and Gabrielle was rooted to the ground again. “Okay,
maybe that wasn’t such a good idea after all. Let’s not get excited, shall
we? I need to think... What would Xena do?” It was a status quo for a few
seconds, but then the leader of the pack opened its big muzzle and roared.
“Let’s do it my way... RUN!” And she rushed off. She ran through the
woods, cutting up her arms and legs on low branches while the wild bunch was
chasing her. After a while she had shaken off most of the pigs and finally only
the largest male was after her. The bard looked over her shoulder and only just
managed to keep her balance when she tripped over a root. Gabrielle knew that
she was getting tired and the boar wasn’t. But then she saw it. She ran
straight for a big oak, with the enormous foaming creature breathing in her
neck. As she ran for her life, she heard the boar roar. Only a few inches more.
Her head almost exploded and her lungs burned, but she found the strength to
make the jump. As she clung to a big branch 5 feet above the ground, she heard
the boar’s head smash into the oak. “In your face, you piece of bacon!”
she shouted. Gabrielle’s muscles trembled but she hung in there to make sure
the pig was knocked out. A few seconds later she jumped on the ground. She
quickly looked around, but there was no sign of the pack. Just to be sure she
thrust her dagger in his neck. Gabrielle wiped the blade off and stuck it in her
boot. Then she took its paws and tried to move the animal. But after a few feet
she gave it up. “That figures. I get punished for not taking the light
meal.” She peered into the woods in wonder where she was, and to her
astonishment she was not far from the camp. That gave her new energy and she
dragged her load along. Gabrielle dropped her heavy load on the ground and
stretched her back. “Remind me why I ever wanted to hunt.” When she found no
reply, she turned to the silent women who sat round the fire. She immediately
saw the bruises and bloodstains on Xena’s face. “Xena! What happened?!” Xena’s smile was clearly forced. “It’s
nothing.” Gabrielle turned to Anna. “Did you do this to her?” The gladiatrix opened her mouth to say something, but
Xena beat her to it. “We practiced a few moves.” The bard threw her an angry look. “Don’t insult my
intelligence.” Anna got up and took a knife from her boot. “We had a
fight and Xena decided not to defend herself. She thought she was doing me a
favor. Now, if you don’t mind... I’m hungry. I’m going to clean that
pig.” Anna swung the boar over her shoulder and left. Gabrielle sat down next to Xena, shaking her head. “I
already wondered why you suddenly wanted me to go hunting.” Xena smiled, which caused her some pain. “Why? It’s
not the first time you actually came back with something edible.” The bard chuckled. “You call that senile squirrel I
caught last month edible? You were sick for days.” Xena bulged her cheek with her tongue. “I said it was
edible, I didn’t say it was tasty.” Gabrielle caressed Xena’s sore cheek. “Why don’t
you never let me into your plans?” The bard looked down. “No. I probably wouldn’t.” “I rest my case.” Gabrielle grined, but she got serious when she saw the
bruises again. “Does it hurt?” “I’ll live. I just wanted her to vent out her
rage... But she’s so collected.” “What if she’s really over it?” The warrior shook her head. “She’s not over it,
Gabrielle.” “Maybe that’s what you want to believe.” Xena stared into the flames and whispered:
“Maybe...” While Anna was roasting the wild boar, Gabrielle
searched the camp for her last scroll. She checked their bedrolls and her bag,
but found nothing. After she had turned the saddlebags inside out, she looked
distrustfully at Xena. “Did you see my scroll? It was right here on my
bedroll.” Xena hardly looked up from the cut in her thigh that
she rubbed in with honey. “No.” “Are you sure? Xena, look at me. Tell me that scroll
didn’t see the mighty warrior’s buns from up close.” The warrior princess made a fending off gesture with
her hands. “That was a one time mistake, okay? Besides, there are plenty of
leafs around here. Pretty soft stuff too.” Gabrielle looked at her in disbelieve. “It can’t
just disappear, now can it?” A sound from behind startled them. “Gabrielle? Do you
have room in your saddlebag for the pig’s liver? I already cooked it.” The bard pulled a wry face. “Would you mind putting
it in Xena’s bag? I’ve got some delicate stuff in my bag, like my quill
and...” Anna threw her something. “Don’t worry. I wrapped
it up.” Gabrielle turned white as she looked at the package.
She opened her mouth, but no sound escaped her lips. The bard blinked a couple of times before she snapped
out of it. Defiantly she stood before the gladiatrix. “You used my scroll...
for the pigs liver?” “Yeah, I ehm, couldn’t find anything else.” Gabrielle looked at the grease-stained parcel in her
hands. “So you took my scroll?! I’ve put my heart and soul in that story!” “It’s not completely spoiled. I only used half of
it.” “You don’t get it do you? This is literature
we’re talking about! Half a story is no story. It’s like The Iliad without
the travelling bit!” Anna looked uncomfortable. “I wouldn’t know.
Sorry.” Suddenly Gabrielle’s voice sounded warm. “Well... I
guess it’s not the end of the world. I could rewrite it. Let’s just forget
it.” “Yeah, it’s okay. Say, is that pig done yet? I’m
starving.” “I’ll go check it.” When Gabrielle turned she saw Xena’s stunned face.
Without making a noise Gabrielle moved her lips saying: “What?” Xena split a log with her sword to drown out the sound
of her voice. “I’m surprised, that’s all.” “About what?!” “She ruins your scroll and gets a ‘forget it’,
where as I almost got killed.” “Hey, you used my art to wipe off your ass! And
besides... Didn’t you see the look on her face when I mentioned The Iliad? I
bet she never read one of the great writers. She had this horrible life and
I’m nagging about a stupid piece of paper.” They fell silent when Anna came back and said: “I
think it’s ready.” “Great,” Gabrielle replied. Anna looked her over, almost shyly. “About that
scroll of yours. Well, I should have asked first.” “Forget it. It wasn’t any good anyway. Right,
Xena?” The warrior princess only pulled up an eyebrow. “Xena always proofreads my work. Don’t you,
Xena?” Finally the warrior princess mumbled: “Yeah,
proofreading is a real passion of mine. The
grammar. The spelling. The structure. Her
stories will change the world... But this one really sucked. I told her to
burn it, but you know how these writers are. Queer folk.” Xena ignored Gabrielle’s foul look and was all smiles
to Anna. “I think I’m ready for a piece of that pig. Let’s eat.” And
while looking over her shoulder to the bard. “Oh Gabrielle, bring some of that
scroll, will ya? We could use some napkins.” Another day of travelling had almost reached its end.
They deliberately stayed away from the main track and followed the banks of a
small river. It was getting dusky when Xena dismounted and drenched her horse.
“I think this is a good place to make camp. What do you think?” and she
peered at Anna. The gladiatrix examined the area and nodded. “Looks
fine to me. She placed her sword against a tree and threw off her bear coat.
Then she started to take off her boots and soon the rest of her clothes
followed. Xena nudged Gabrielle who was staring at Anna’s strong body as she
splashed into the icy water. The blonde girl flushed and mumbled: “I was
watching the scars on her back, okay.” Xena shook her head. “Yeah right.” The warrior princess watched Anna for a while and then
whispered: “Those wounds are not from battle. She was flogged. A long time
ago.” Gabrielle watched her friend closely. It was all too
obvious what she was thinking. “It’s no use beating yourself up on this.” “I can’t pretend it never happened, Gabrielle. I
can’t.” Meanwhile Anna dried herself with the cloak and got
into her clothes. As she wrenched her hair she noticed the change of atmosphere.
She flipped her hair backwards and tied it up with the leather strap.
“Something wrong?” Gabrielle answered dryly: “It’s called winter
depression. How can you even bathe in the freezing cold?” “It’s not so bad once you’re in there.” “I’ll take your word for it.” She sniffed her
armpit. “Yeah, I think I can wait for the bathhouses in Batavia. You do have
bathhouses over there, don’t you?” Anna shook her head. “Probably. We better make a
fire. I’ll collect some firewood.” “No, let me,” Gabrielle got up and swung her arms a
bit. “I need to keep busy, it will keep me warm.” When the bard was gone, Anna sat down on a stone,
rubbing her hands. Xena broke the silence. “I saw the scars on your
back. Who did that?” Anna clenched her jaws and put on her boots. “I
don’t want to talk about it. And certainly not with you.” Xena kept looking at her, calmly. “Was it
Claudius?” There was a strange emotion in Anna’s eyes, something
that the warrior princess couldn’t quite grasp. But then she heard her say
dully: “He said it was a learning experience.” “Son of a...” Anna interrupted her harshly. “The most important
fight of a gladiator is to conquer the fear of pain. And I did. Pain is
endurable. He was a good teacher.” Xena shook her head. “Don’t make excuses for
him.” The gladiatrix got up and looked down on her. “If you
really want to blame someone, I suggest you take a long, hard look at
yourself.” Xena checked the prints on the road. “We’re close
to the limes,” she said to Gabrielle. “The what?” “The northern frontier of the Roman empire.” Gabrielle turned to Anna. “Do you recognize
anything?” “Not things that are helpful. Claudius got promoted a
year after I arrived in Castellum Fectio, we moved to Gaul. But I remember the
scent. Fallen oak leafs, pine-needles. The colour of the meadows. The
sounds...” Her voice got unsteady and she quickly focused on the
road ahead. “Let’s get off this road.” Xena looked at her and then said: “We should split
up. You can’t just walk through the gates of that city. Not until we know if
the word of your escape is out yet. You must stay here.” Anna threw her a measuring look. “And how will I know
you’re not going to rat on me?” “I will leave Gabrielle behind.” Xena gave the bard
a quick look. “She means the world to me. I’m not taking any chances.” “Neither am I,” the gladiatrix answered. “Don’t
take too long. I might get nervous and hurt your little friend.” Anna and Xena faced each other in silent warfare. Then
Xena got on her horse. She looked down on the gladiatrix with eyes that seemed
to burn into hers. “This is our battle. Don’t forget that.” Xena
entered the city on horseback, the young girl in front of her curiously looking
around her. When she had reached the market, she dismounted and helped the girl
off. Holding her hand, she led her towards one of the merchants. “Let’s do
some shopping,” she grined, while the girl looked up to her with the eagerly
anticipation of a child. As she firmly held the girl’s shoulder, she asked the
slave driver: “How much?” He looked the child over and friendly brushed her
hair. He got down on one knee and smiled: “Seems your hair is made of pure
gold. Can I have some?” The child laughed shyly and held Xena’s hand tighter
as she tried to hide behind her coat. The merchant got up again and mumbled
satisfiedly: “Good teeth. I’ll give you 20 dinars.” Xena glared at him and
snarled: “Make it 60. You know she’s worth it.” For a moment the man
seemed to hesitate, but he was clearly intimidated by the looks of this tall
warrior woman. So he took his money belt and gave her the coins. As soon as Xena
got the money, she pushed the child forward, right into his suddenly less
friendly hands. The girl turned in shock, disbelieve and total surprise were
written in her eyes as she looked at Xena... But it didn’t move the warrior
princess, nothing ever could. She was about to turn around and walk away, when
she felt the child’s hands on her armor. Strong hands for a kid her age. They
clung onto her, tearing up her cloak. For a moment she felt doubt when she
looked into the girl’s desperate eyes. But then a familiar coldness got hold
of her and she pushed the kid away... She didn’t look back once. The warrior princess shivered and shook off the
memories of so long ago. After almost 30 years she was back at the gates of
Castellum Fectio. Only this time she was alone... A group of Batavian soldiers
in Roman service stopped her, but when she showed them the letter of
safe-conduct that Claudius had given her, they let her through. Xena had just
reached a small square when she heard an uproar. A group of young men in chains
were unloaded from a wagon and directed to a military compound, but a blonde
officer got in their way. “What is the meaning of this?” he shouted. A Roman soldier bowed his head and said: “Direct
orders from the general, sir. We were told to recruit soldiers.” “On a voluntarily basis, yes, not as slaves.
Batavians are free citizens, they have always been. Remove their chains
immediately.” “But sir...” “That’s an order!” “Julius!” A grey horseman with a scarlet cloak
around his shoulder looked angrily down on the blonde officer. “In my office.
Now!” And he rode off. As Julius passed her by, she noticed he had only one
eye. And it didn’t look happy. That night Xena decided to go to a pub where a lot of
soldiers walked in and out. When Xena had tied down her horse, she entered the
inn and looked around. Most of the clients were ordinary soldiers, but soon
enough she saw the blonde officer staring at a large jar of beer. She sat down
next to him. “Bad day at the office?” When the blonde man turned to her, he looked her over
and said grimly: “Buy me a drink or piss off.” “Buy me a
beer and I’ll forget the insult.” At first the man thought that Xena was joking, but she
didn’t blink an eye. He started to laugh and waved the bartender to bring two
more jars. He looked aside and said: “I am Julius Civilus, commander of the
Batavian garde. And who might you be?” “The
name is Xena.” He looked at her intently. “The legendary Xena... I
led the imperial guard in Rome, long after your attempt to kill Caesar. I heard
you walked straight into his quarters.” His one eye showed sparkles of
amusement. “That would have never happened under my command.” The warrior princess took a sip from her beer. “Care
to tell me why?” “I’m blessed for losing an eye. The more you see,
the less you notice.” “Interesting theory.” Julius gulped down his beer and slammed the empty jar
on the bar. “So! What brings a legend to the outskirts of the Roman Empire?” “To find that gladiatrix of his? My men are already
on the look-out,” Julius bellowed. “We are perfectly capable of finding a
runaway slave.” “Maybe he doesn’t trust you,” Xena said
provokingly. “After all, you are a Batavian, just like her.” The officer looked at her sharply. “I am loyal to
Rome.” “But is Rome loyal to you? You saw what they did to
your people. You’re not free anymore.” Julius briefly smiled. “Nero is not Rome. His time
will pass.” Xena got up. “That’s not really helping your
people, is it?” And she walked off. It was still light when Gabrielle and Anna made camp.
They didn’t start a fire, the city was too close by. Gabrielle took a new
scroll from her bag and started to write. It was difficult because the cold made
her fingers go numb. She blew in her palms and rubbed her hands, but that
didn’t help much. It wasn’t long before Anna sat down next to her. She took
off her bear cloak and wrapped it around the bard’s slender shoulders. Gabrielle looked at her in wonder. “Aren’t you
cold?” Anna folded her arms. “Not really. Guess we Batavian
girls have more fat on our bones.” The bard grined. “Then why do I see goose pimples on
your arms?” Anna smiled back at the bard. “Those are not goose
pimples. That’s isolation material.” Gabrielle laughed out loud. And as she spread out the
cloak, she said: “Come on, this coat is big enough for the both of us.” And so they sat there, close to each other to catch the
warmth underneath the bearskin. Gabrielle was about to put away her scroll and
quill, but Anna stopped her. “What is it you write?” “I write about my life with Xena. Our adventures, the
people we meet...” “Like a diary?” “Yeah, you could see it that way.” She gave the
scroll to Anna. “Here, read it.” Anna took the scroll and stared at it for a while. Then
she embarrassedly gave it back. “I can’t read.” Gabrielle looked down. “I’m sorry. I should have
known...” “Forget it. Will you read it to me?” And so the bard did. It was only a few sentences about
their battle with Alti, but the Batavian woman was captured by her words. “Now I really feel bad about spoiling that other
scroll. And don’t tell me it was a bad story. You’re not a very good
liar.” The bard scratched her head. “Sorry.” “Don’t be. Good persons make lousy liars. It’s a
compliment. I could almost be tempted to trust you.” “I wish you would. Not everybody is out there to harm
you.” “You haven’t lived my life, Gabrielle. Take my
advice: never trust someone you don’t really know. Especially the ones who are
nice to you. It can kill you.” The sun went down and darkness fell upon them.
Gabrielle shivered. Her eyes roamed Anna’s naked arm. Muscular, but still
feminine. Her hands were strewn with scars, little reminders of past fights.
Gabrielle wondered... “You’re such a great fighter. Why didn’t you
escape years ago?” The gladiatrix sighed. “Flee to where? I have no
family. No home. I have nothing to return to.” “You still don’t. What changed your mind?” Anna stared into the darkness. After a while she said:
“I’ve never been afraid in the arena. I thought I was invincible. Until I
realized that I hadn’t met my worst enemy yet...” She looked at Gabrielle.
“I can kill anything, except time. I knew that one day it would take away my
strength and swiftness. So I left.” “You think I had other reasons?” The bard lowered her eyes. “Well... from what we’ve
heard from Lucia, we ehm, thought that maybe... you and Claudius...” Anna’s searching look made her feel even more
awkward. But then the gladiatrix said: “That woman has always
been jealous of me.” She smiled smugly. “And I can’t blame her. He was
obsessed with me.” “So you did have an affair.” Anna threw her a withering look. “Free citizens have
affairs, slaves have sex on command.” “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to..,” the bard
stuttered. But Anna’s expression already softened. “Claudius
had sex with many slave girls, but not with me. To him I was a work of art. His
masterpiece. And every time the crowd cheered for me, they cheered for him.
Because he made me.” Anna smiled faintly: “Don’t we all? That’s the
way of the world, Gabrielle.” “It’s not my way. I’d like to think we’re here
to help people.” Anna looked her over and shook her head. “Someone
like you shouldn’t be with someone like Xena.” “You don’t know her the way I do,” Gabrielle
whispered. The woman next to her gazed at the stars and blew a
cloud of breath in the cold air. “I know one thing though... Love is blind.”
“So is hate.” They stared at each other for seconds. Until Anna said
coldly: “Call me crazy, but I’d rather hate a slave driver, than love
one.” And she walked off to her bedroll.
It was almost dawn when Xena returned to their camp.
She woke the bard and whispered. “Everything okay?” Gabrielle nodded and wiped her sleepy eyes. “Yeah, it
was cold though. And you?” “The Romans know about Anna. But what’s worse: the
Batavians are not free citizens anymore. The Romans have occupied their land.” Gabrielle answered shocked: “Why?” Xena hushed her up and whispered: “Nero needs
soldiers and money for his war against Germania. And Batavia has crops and lots
of young men.” The bard shook her head. “And now what? She didn’t
come all this way to become a slave again.” “We’ll have to cross the border. Across the river
Rhein, that’s still free country.” “I can’t go there,” Anna said with a clear voice.
She got up from her bedroll and fetched her sword. “That’s the land of the
Frisians. They hate our guts.” Xena got on her feet as well. “I don’t think you
have another option. You can’t stay here.” The gladiatrix stared in the distance for a while. Then
she said blankly: “Alright.” Xena’s expression showed empathy as well as concern.
“There’s just one problem. The border is heavily guarded. And there’s no
way we can cross the Rhein without a boat.” “Then we’ll have to steal one.” “Yeah Xena, we have faced bigger problems.” Xena cocked her eyebrow. “Wait till you see the
security.” They reached the border after sunset. A strong wind
seemed to blow right through their clothes. Hiding behind a group of trees they
looked at the bank where a dozen small ships were moored. Overlooking it was a
large building where a group of soldiers gathered around a big fire. But by the
looks of the many horses that were tied to the trees, there had to be a lot more
inside. Gabrielle shivered. “There are at least a hundred of
them.” Anna looked at Xena and said: “Maybe this wasn’t
such a good idea after all.” Xena still had her eyes on the soldiers. “We just
have to play it smart.” “Come on, Xena. This is out of our league,” the
gladiatrix replied. But Xena watched the wind and looked at the boats.
“Not if we get a little help. Gabrielle... Anna and I will take them on. That
will give you time to set the boats on fire.” Gabrielle frowned. “Maybe a minor detail, but how
will we cross the river without a boat?” “The wind is coming from the west. Set the second
boat on fire, the wind will do the rest.” Xena smiled: “Yeah right.” Gabrielle sneaked towards the fireplace. It was left
unprotected when the soldiers stormed at the two warrior women. The bard took a
burning branch from the fire and ran to the boats. She threw the stick in the
second boat and it didn’t take long before it was set on fire. The howling
wind did the rest. When one of the Romans realized what was going on, he alarmed
his fellow soldiers but it was already too late. Gabrielle took the sais from
her boots and welcomed the first furious soldier with a vicious jab in his
thigh. She didn’t have to wait long for the second. He came running at her and
she had just enough time to pull back the knife and punch the man on his nose.
The blood poured out of his nostrils. From the corners of her eyes she could see
that both women were attacked by a dozen men, but they didn’t look too
worried. Nonetheless, Gabrielle dashed over to them and knocked over a Roman on
her way. The sound of clattering swords was everywhere, but she could also hear
something else... Horses! Soon a group of fifty Batavian horsemen surrounded
them. Everyone stared at the one-eyed officer when he roared: “Xena! Hand over
the woman!” But the warrior princess didn’t blink an eye. “You
want her? You’ll have to go through me.” Julius dismounted and walked over to her, his sword
still in his sheath. “And there I was thinking you were on our side.” “I am,” the warrior princess answered slyly.
“That is... if YOU are on the side of your people.” The commanders once haughty expression changed into a
grim one. “Emperors come and go, Xena. Rome will find out that it cannot hold
down the Batavians.” A smile play on Xena’s lips. “Maybe this is the
time to prove it.” One of the Roman soldier stepped forward and shouted:
“Don’t listen to the bitch. Kill her!” Julius threw him a furious look. “Hold your tongue,
soldier. I out-rank you!” But the Roman soldier exchanged looks with his troops
and smiled arrogantly. “Class out-ranks rank. Do your job, barbarian.” “Very well...” Julius turned swiftly and beheaded the soldier. As he
looked down at the rolling head, he hissed: “Is that barbaric enough for
you?” Then he drew his sword and shouted: “For Batavia!
Attack!” Before the Romans knew what was happening, Julius’ horsemen
followed their leader into battle. Unfortunately another legion was attracted by the huge
fire and soon the grounds were swarming with soldiers. Xena knew they would not
hold. Not even with the help of Julius and his men. She shouted to Gabrielle:
“Take Anna and run for the boat. I’ll be right behind you.” But just when Gabrielle and Anna had reached the bank,
one of the soldiers set the last remaining boat on fire. The bard turned in
horror. Xena quickly exchanged looks with Julius. He said:
“Can you swim?” When Xena nodded he continued: “Help your friend, we
will try to stall them as long as we can.” And that wasn’t too long. Xena, Gabrielle and Anna
had only swum a few yards in the icy water, when they heard the Batavian
soldiers splashing behind them. They had soon reached them, for they were
excellent swimmers and had little trouble with the strong current. The Romans
however did. One by one they disappeared underwater, with or without the help of
a Batavian opponent… Gabrielle felt her strength die away as she battled
against the waves, the wind and the cold. But just when her head went under, she
felt a strong arm around her waist. When she came gasping to the surface she saw
it was Julius. When they finally reached the other side, she crawled
on the bank. Trembling Gabrielle looked around her. All she could see were Xena,
Anna and the Batavian soldiers. No Roman had survived the strong current. It wasn’t long before they had found a sheltered spot
in the woods. A fierce fire was built to keep them warm and to dry their wet
clothes. When Xena was sure that Gabrielle and Anna were okay, she walked over
to Julius. “Thanks for your help.” The commander took off his coat and hung it over a
branch. His bare body was scattered with wounds from the battlefield. But he
didn’t seem to notice the blood. Blankly he said: “I didn’t do this for you. This is
for my people.” “I know. What are your plans?” Julius brushed his wet hair backwards and peered into
the flames. “There’s no turning back now. I’ll have to recruit new troops
to strike back. Castellum
Fectio will be ours again.” “How many men do you think you can gather?” “Five hundred,” the commander answered, “maybe
six.” Xena threw another log on the fire. “That’s not
enough. The Romans have six legions in the region. They will crush you. What
about other tribes? I hear this is Frisian area.” Julius folded his arms. “Forget it. We are sworn
enemies. They will not help us.” Xena cocked her eyebrow. “Don’t be so sure. You
know why your people are suddenly oppressed? Why Rome is recruiting young men?
This isn’t about Batavia. It’s Germania they’re after. Nero is quickly
building an army to conquer it. He already has legions waiting just outside
their southern border... Don’t you get it? He needs this land to attack
Germania from two angles. The Frisians will help you, Julius. Their future is at
stake!” The commander slowly began to smile. “I begin to
understand why Caesar hated you so much... You are a better strategist than he
is.” He paused a while. “I will send word to the leaders of the Frisians and
the Cananefaten, a tribe in the west. We’ll see what happens.” The Frisians and Cananefaten had agreed to have a
meeting in a holy forest. A day went by. And another. It was still early when
the warrior princess lost her patience and woke up Anna. “What’s taking them
so long?” Anna rubbed her eyes and threw her an angry look.
“The sun is barely up! And I was sleeping, thank you very much.” Xena tapped her feet and her face still showed
irritation. “We are wasting precious time. I know the Romans. They will have
their legions at the northern border in no time.” She looked in the distance if there was any sight of
Julius and his men, but there was nothing. “If they’re not here in an hour,
I’m going to that forest myself. Holy or not!” Anna got up and put on her armor. “They’ll be here,
don’t worry. Every meeting in the sacred forest takes at least two days. On
day one they have a big feast while they negotiate. And on day two they discuss
the same matter again, but this time in a sober state.” She had barely said it, when they heard the noise of
horses speeding towards them. Anna smiled. “Here they are.” “About time.” When the troops arrived Xena immediately noticed their
red hair. They all had dyed their hair. The warrior princess threw Anna a haughty smile.
“Talking, hey? Seems they went to a beauty farm.” Anna didn’t answer her smile. Instead she drew her
sword and said coldly: “This means war, Xena.” Xena fenced her off with her hands and murmured:
“Keep your socks down, it was just a joke.” A smile dawned on Anna’s face. “You don’t
understand. We dye our hair red in times of war. So... if you will excuse me. I
have an appointment with my hairdresser.” Only a week after their crossing of the river, they had
gathered 5000 soldiers. From every corner of the land they came by land or river
to their meeting point. A strange mixture of tribes, each with their own habits,
but all faithful worshippers of the northern gods Wodan and Freya, the goddess
of mother Earth. They were extremely well horsemen, excellent swimmers and very
strong with spear and sword. And they were eager. Eager to challenge the mighty
Roman Empire. Eager
to fight and defend their soil. Tonight it would happen. This night they would cross
the Rhein and march towards Castellum Fectio. Julius walked over to Anna whose hair was now as red as
the burning flames of the campfire. “I give you command of the second Batavian legion. Mauritius
will be your second in command. Once we have conquered the castellum, you will
hold the Batavian line. The rest of our army will try to push the Romans back to
Belgica.” The gladiatrix stared into the distance. “If it’s
alright with you, I’ll take the two women with me.” “That was not my plan. Xena’s strategic insight
might come in handy. I need her.”
There
was a moment of silence. But then Anna replied: “Xena risked her life to help
me. I want her next to me when I walk through the gates of the castellum. I hope
you understand.” Julius stared at her, until Anna looked away. Then he
said: “Very well.” A thick layer of clouds hid the stars and moon from
view. It was pitch black. Julius peered into the darkness, but all he could see
in the driving rain were a few yards of the wild swirling river. He pulled his
cloak tighter, while his red locks were blowing in the wind. In the distance he
heard a thunderstorm approach, but it was still far away. “Perfect,” he
mumbled. He turned to Anna, Gabrielle and Xena and grined: “They won’t know
what hit them. In this nasty weather no Roman will dare to go outside.” Gabrielle wiped wet hair from her face. “But
there’s a watchtower on the other side, right?” “It’s the most heavily guarded one. A complete
legion is waiting on the other side.” Anna raised her eyebrows. “Then why take the risk?” Julius wanted to answer, but Xena beat him to it.
“Their strength is their weakness. The bigger the legion, the bigger their
sense of safety.”
The guard peered into the darkness, but saw nothing. He
turned to the other four men who sat on the ground, closely against the stone
wall that protected them from the howling wind. The roof kept much of the rain
away, but they were still soaked. And although it was nearly freezing, the Roman
soldier felt heated. He wiped off his forehead and grunted: “Am I really the
only one who’s doing his job?” One of his mates looked angrily up: “You call this a
job? Then Hades must be our employer cause this is f*cking Tarturus!” He
sneezed and shivering from the cold he took a big gulp of wine. The watchman shook his head and looked at the skies
when he heard a rumble. “Great, that’s all we need. A thunderstorm.”
Suddenly a thunderbolt lit up the skies... In a split-second he saw the river
littered with boats. In shock he mumbled: “Boats. Hundreds of them. They’re
coming.” One of the soldiers got up with difficulty and stared
into the darkness. “There’s nothing, you fool.” The guard glared at him. “I saw them! The Batavians
are coming. There were at least...” His mate touched his forehead and pulled him away from
the wall. “You have a fever. Come on, you’re going to the sickbay.”
Hundreds of men squatted down on the bank, waiting for
their orders. Julius looked back and saw how most of the boats were already on
their way back to the other shore. He concernedly looked up when another
lightning bold lit up the skies. Fortunately it had not given them away. He
looked at the men on his left. Julius made a few signs with his hands and they
sneaked away. Then he looked to his right and silently gave this group their
orders. When they had gone, the blonde commander peered at Xena, Gabrielle and
Anna. “Once they’re surrounded, we’ll penetrate their camp and bring them
into chaos.” He had barely said it or they suddenly heard men
screaming. Xena cocked her eyebrows and grunted: “Guess chaos
has already started.” It went just as Julius predicted. The Batavians made
sure that the Romans couldn’t reach their horses, while the river cut off the
other escape route. They had to fight. But fortune was not on their side. They
were surprised in their sleep. And although they were tough soldiers, they were
not accostumed to the rough weather. Their feet slipped on the muddy ground,
their hands could not hold on to their wet swords and the pouring rain
disorientated them. As the Batavian lines pushed them to the river, they
suddenly were attacked from within. A dozen soldiers fell to the ground when a
round weapon hit them. A panic broke out. They lost contact with their
commanders and everyone went for their own safeguard. In the dark and the
lashing rain they could only see so much, but every time lightning struck them,
the sight was more devastating. And they knew they didn’t stand a chance. It was almost morning when the battle was over. Xena
and Gabrielle kept close to the fire to warm their cold bones. One of the
Batavians offered them bread and a chicken leg, but Gabrielle declined. The
warrior princess took her food anyhow and peered at the pale bard. She lay a
hand on her shoulder and said: “You should eat something.” But Gabrielle shook her head and stared into the
flames. “I can’t. I know why we’re doing this, but still... They had
families, wives, children. How can we say this is right?” Xena wrapped her arm around the bard. “Think of the
people you save from enslavement. That’s your answer.” The bard looked up to her, her eyes wet from tears.
“Maybe you’re right.” Xena pulled her close and whispered in her ear:
“You’ll be okay.” Xena inhaled the cold air and relaxed her muscles. She
looked around her... Nothing but bushes and birds. Pleased she closed her eyes
and started to sway her sword. Lifting it above her head, gracefully slicing the
air and always in balance. Suddenly she struck the blade backwards... Its tip was only an inch away from Julius’ stomach.
He heaved a sigh of relief. “That was close.” Xena turned around smiling. “If we were in battle,
you’d be dead right now.” “All the more reason why I’m glad you’re on our
side. Although I’m not sure why.” Xena put the sword in her sheath and murmured: “You
know my history with the Romans.” “I know you had a thing with Caesar. But he’s long
gone... I can’t help but think you have an alternative motive.” “You can trust me, Julius.” “I never said I didn’t. Just tell me one thing. Is
this about Anna?” The warrior princess froze. “I see... What do you owe her?” “I’m the one who sold her to Claudius. How’s that
for an alternative motive.” Julius stared at the skies and mumbled something. Then
he looked her straight in the eye. “A word of advice. Watch your back. This
battle may get ugly.” “Why are you telling me this?” Julius briefly smiled. “You figure that out yourself.
You’re smart enough.” He grabbed her wrist and said solemnly: “Take care,
Xena. It was an honor.” That same day they marched to Castellum Fectio. Julius
had already left to join the western front. Now Anna was in charge and she
walked on briskly with a grim expression on her face. After a few miles they saw
smoke in the distance. Mauritius, Anna’s second in command, cried out: “The
city’s on fire!” Anna turned to Xena and Gabrielle in shock: “Those
damn Frisians! I knew they would give us trouble!” “No,” Xena said calmly, “the Romans did this.
When they retreat they make sure everything’s burned down. One bright side
though: it will save us a battle.” Gabrielle stared at the smoke and whispered: “I
can’t believe they give up so easily.” “They’re not giving up, Gabrielle. They will wait
for assistance in the south. We’ve only won the first strike.” That evening Anna’s legion marched into the city. The
Romans had set most of the houses on fire before they fled to the south. The air
was filled with smoke, but the people were dancing on the streets and they
cheered the passing troops. Gabrielle and Xena were soon captured by the
crowd’s enthusiasm, but there was no happiness on Anna’s face. The bard
playfully nudged the gladiatrix. “Why the long face? You freed your people.” Anna forced a smile. “I’m happy for them. But
it’s not over yet.” She quickly looked at what used to be the prison. One of
the few buildings that wasn’t harmed by the flames. “We’ll use this as our
headquarter.” Right when she wanted to enter the building, a rider
approached them at great speed. The horse hadn’t even come to a full stop when
the soldier jumped off and offered Anna a note. The gladiatrix unrolled the
scroll, but then seemed to change her mind and gave it to Gabrielle. A light
blush on her cheeks. The bard quickly read it and soon her face turned pale.
“It’s from general Claudius. He wants to negotiate.” Anna remained remarkably calm. She glanced at Xena when
she said: “I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he sees who he’s
negotiating with.” “Let Julius handle this, Anna.” When the Batavian soldier had disappeared, Xena grabbed
Anna’s arm. “You have to let Julius know.” The gladiatrix jerked herself loose and hissed: “Let
him know what?! This has got nothing to do with our battle against the Romans.
This is about Claudius and me. Do you understand?!” Xena narrowed her eyes. “Listen to me, Anna. This is
not the time to take revenge on him. Think of your cause. The people of
Batavia!” “I’m not planning on killing him. So back off!” Gabrielle stared out of the small window from their
bedroom. People were still dancing around huge fires while they raised their
jars of beer. She moved away from the window and looked at Xena. The warrior lay
on a small bed and stared at the ceiling. Lines of concern were written on her
forehead. “Dinar for your thoughts?” Xena closed her eyes for a while and whispered: “I
wish I could read hers.” Gabrielle sat down next to her. “You think we should
send word to Julius?” “No. I can’t betray her again.” The bard nodded. “Do you believe her? I mean, about
not killing him?” “I’m not sure. That’s why I’m going to keep a
very close eye on her.” Gabrielle sighed, rubbing a sore spot in her neck. “I
need a bath. A warm – no, let me rephrase that – a hot bath. My body and
this weather don’t agree. Besides, I feel dirty.” Xena looked concerned when she caressed Gabrielle’s
cheek. “Still thinking of yesterday?” “Don’t worry. I already feel better.” “Sure?” The bard lightly kissed Xena’s hand. “Yes. Guess I
needed this. Your touch has healing powers, you know.” Xena pulled her closer. “I had a great teacher.” They both looked up when there was a knock on the door.
Xena sighed. “Whoever that is... I’m gonna kill
him.” “It’s me.” It was Anna’s voice. “There has
been another message. Can I come in?” “Of course.” The gladiatrix entered their room and looked almost
shy, holding the scroll in her hands. “Would you read it for me? No need for
my men to know...” The bard jumped up from the bed and walked over to her.
“I understand. Is it from Julius?” The gladiatrix shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe.
Can’t read, remember?” Gabrielle chuckled. And then everything happened so
fast. There was Anna’s dagger under her chin, the cold steel against her
artery, the sudden grim expression on her face, her hard eyes, the steely grip
of her arm around her body. And Xena’s startled face. Never before had she
seen her so upset, so full of disbelieve. But Anna pushed the dagger even harder against
Gabrielle’s throat, and the bard released a cry of pain. Anna shouted: “Take
another step and your friend is dead!” Xena raised her hand and quickly said: “Alright! I
understand.” The gladiatrix smiled. “I don’t think you do.”
And then she shouted: “Guards!” Soon a dozen heavily armed soldiers entered the room,
waiting for Anna’s command. “Throw Xena in the dungeon. Don’t leave her
out of your sight.” And while she addressed the warrior princess: “Don’t
even think about escaping. Gabrielle will suffer the consequences.” The warrior princess stuck her hands forward. “I’ll
give you no trouble.” “Good,” Anna answered as she watched Xena get taken
away. Then she bellowed to the remaining soldiers: “Tie the girl up.” “You won’t need those for a while.” A few moments later Anna walked into a dark corridor
that led to the dungeons. When she reached Xena’s cellar, she told the guards
to leave them alone. Anna took Gabrielle’s sai and stroke its blade over
the iron bars. It made a cold, harsh sound. “Aren’t you going to ask me what I’m going to do
with you?” There was a touch of bitterness in Xena’s eyes when
she answered. “If it makes you feel better.” “Yes, it would,” Anna replied smilingly. “You
see, I have waited almost thirty years for this moment.” Her eyes grew cold and her face became a grim mask.
“I could have escaped years ago. But there wasn’t much point in doing that.
By the time I was strong enough for vengeance, they told me the great Xena was
dead. I hated you for that. You took away my purpose in life... killing you. And
since I had nowhere to go, I decided to stay. Every time my blade tasted blood I
thought of you, wishing it was your body lying there in the dirty sand and not
some poor bastard. I’m not proud of it, but it kept me alive. Year after year.
You can’t imagine what went through my mind when I heard of your
resurrection...” When she saw Xena’s surprise, she smiled knowingly.
“Of course I knew about the little beauty sleep Ares gave you. News travels
fast. I counted on that when I planned my escape. You would hear about it soon
enough.” The warrior princess hung her head. “You knew I would
follow you.” A glitter appeared in Anna’s blue eyes. “Everybody
knows you changed into a so called heroin. I knew you would feel guilty enough
to come to my rescue.” “Clever. I must grant you that.” “It was more than clever, it was brilliant!” She
pointed the dagger at Xena. “But I saved the best for last...” There was amusement in her eyes while she play with the
knife. “I could have killed you right away – and by the gods, how much did I
want to. But you were still useful to me. Thanks to you I’m back in my
homeland. But now I don’t longer need you. Get the picture?” “I don’t care what you do to me, but leave
Gabrielle out of this.” “Can’t promise you that.” Xena grabbed the bars and hissed: “I thought you
didn’t hurt the innocent?” “What can I say... I lied.” Anna smiled at the chained woman and walked away. But
suddenly she stopped and looked over her shoulder. Casually she said: “Oh, I
almost forgot... I decided not to kill you.” When she saw Xena’s puzzled look, she laughed coldly. “I’m going to sell you.” When the gladiatrix returned to Gabrielle’s room, she
found her tied up in a chair. Anna waved the soldiers to leave and removed the
gag from the bard’s mouth. She immediately burst out: “Are you, pffrt,
insane?!” Anna stood before her with folded arms. “On the
contrary, I know exactly what I’m doing.” Gabrielle laughed from anger. “Then would you care to
enlighten me, cause you’ve lost me.” “It’s payback time, Gabrielle. Xena deserves to
die. But I think selling her will give me more satisfaction.” Gabrielle’s jaw dropped. “Selling her?” “Yep. I think Claudius will pay quite a bit for her.
After all, she double crossed him.” The bard shook her head in disbelieve. “I don’t
understand. I thought it was all behind you. You said...” “...everything you wanted to hear. Come on,
Gabrielle. You really think I would let her get away with this?” “Anna, you can’t do this. She helped you!” “She helped herself and you know it! Face it,
Gabrielle. She ruined my life and she’ll pay for that.” Gabrielle swallowed down a sob. “I trusted you…” For a moment there was a glimmer of compassion in
Anna’s eyes. But she quickly recovered. “I did warn you. Never trust someone you don’t really know... Remember?” General Claudius and his men walked in the big hall. He
waved his soldiers to stay back while he approached the back of a gigantic
chair. He coughed and said: “General Claudius at your service, sir.” He heard someone rise and a moment later he faced a
redheaded woman. “Hello Claudius.” The general’s jaw dropped. Claudius smiled. “No. But then again… you’ve
always been a survivor. In a way I take pride in having trained you.” “You say trained, I’d rather call it tortured.” The general looked at her intently. “It would be very
unwise to harm me. Rome would retaliate, you know that.” Anna removed some dirt from his cape. “I have no
intention of harming you. I
have a proposition.” Claudius
raised his eyebrows. “Which is?” “You will retreat your army to Belgica and bring word
to Rome. We want full independence. No taxes, no oppression.” “You know Rome will never agree to that. We can wipe
your people from the face of the earth!” Anna cocked her eyebrows. “This is Batavia, Claudius.
Cold winters, humidity, strange tribes that will attack every minute of the
day... You’re facing a long, hard battle.” “Don’t be so smug. Batavia means nothing to us.
It’s a dot on the map!” The gladiatrix glared defiance at him. “We are small,
but you can’t get around us. Not if you want to rule Germania.” She smiled when she saw the general’s surprise. “We
may be barbarians, but we are not ignorant. ” Claudius
coughed. “I will bring the emperor your message.” “Good. But before you go... I have a peace offering
for you. Guards!” A few moments later they brought Xena in. “That’s right,” Anna smiled. “She double
crossed you. She helped me to defeat your army.” The general turned to her in wonder. “And this is
your thanks?” Anna’s face grew dark. “Xena and I have a history.
A nasty history... How much did you pay for me?” The general frowned. “What?” “You heard me. How much?” “Come on, that was ages ago.” “HOW MUCH!” Claudius gave her a tiresome look: “Alright! Maybe a
hundred dinars or so.” Anna smiled satisfiedly. “Excellent. You may have
this slave,” and she quickly glanced
at Xena, “for the same amount. I would say, that’s quite a bargain.” “I still don’t understand...” “Don’t ask questions, Claudius. Just give me the
money and take her with you. She’ll make a great gladiatrix.” The general shook his head and searched for his money
belt. He took a few golden coins and dropped it on Anna’s palm. “You will
never seize to amaze me. And for what it’s worth, I have always respected
you.” “Respect doesn’t come with chains, Claudius.” And with a glance at Xena: “Goodbye Xena. I’ll
enjoy spending every dinar.” “At least let me say goodbye to her,” Xena asked
with clenched teeth. But Anna coldly answered: “Request denied. Slaves
don’t ask, they obey. Better get used to it.” Two days had passed after Anna had told her the news.
There hadn’t been a sign of compassion on her face, not a trace of pity. She
had to escape. But the ropes round her wrists and legs were tight and thick. The
window was big enough, but she would never survive the jump. And
the door was properly locked. Things were looking bad. Real bad. But she knew
she had to try. She hopped on her chair towards the door. Slowly but
surely she reached it. “And now what?” she asked herself. She looked around
if she could find anything useful, but there was only a bed in the room. She
startled when she heard two pairs of boots coming down the hall. Quickly she
posted beside the door. She heard a key slide in the lock, there was a
squeaking sound and the door opened. Standing in the doorway she heard one of
them cry out: “Where is she?!” Immediately Gabrielle pushed all her weight and power
against the door and she heard a loud bang. But also the sound of swords drawn
from their sheaths. She tried to get in the most upright position as possible
and hopped away from the door. Soon
she faced the angered soldiers. One of them had a nosebleed and
he wiped the blood of his chin. “She’s mine,” he grunted. He raised his sword and tried to slash her. But she
hopped away and all he sliced was a piece of wood. Furiously he swung at her
again, but this time the bard turned... He cut right through the ropes that
bonded her wrists! With a fright she looked at her hands that were nearly
chopped off, but there was no time for panic. Now that her arms were free she
turned right back, finding her attacker ready to strike. As he lashed out, she
quickly let herself fall backwards on her chair, and again the blade found
nothing but thick ropes and wood. In a flash Gabrielle did a backwards
somersault and got up on her feet. “Thanks for the help,” she chuckled. Now both men stormed at her and the smile on her face
disappeared. She swiftly took the chair and used it as a shield. Soon splinters
of wood flew in the air and in the end she only held one of the chair legs. “Give it up, woman!” one of the soldiers said.
“What you’re gonna do with one little stick against two swords?” “Now that you mention it, that does sound a bit
unfair. How about a trade…” and she tossed the chairleg at him. In a reflex
he tried to catch it, and Gabrielle took her chance. She kicked the sword from
his other hand and caught it in mid-air. In a heartbeat the second soldier
stormed at her, but she had enough time to intercept the blow. At the same time
she kicked him in the crotch and as he doubled up, she knocked him out with the
hilt of her sword. Immediately the other Batavian came at her again. With an
enormous power he slammed the sword out of her hands. He heaved his blade and
gave it another swing, but Gabrielle dived between his legs, crawled back on her
feet, picked up the chairleg and slammed it on the back of his head. He was down
and out. “Never underestimate a girl fighting with a little stick.” Gabrielle quickly closed the door and took the sheets
from the bed. Swiftly she tied them together and hung them out of window. “Too
short...” she sighed. Then she looked at the men. Especially
at their long trousers. “Hm, that might work.” She squatted down by one of them and started to pull
his pants down. Soon enough she frowned and pulled up her nose. “Must be my
lucky day. No underwear.” The bard worked quickly, for she knew the guards
downstairs might wonder where their mates were at. She tore up the trousers and
tied the cloth to the rest of the sheets. She peered out of the window, all was
safe. In seconds she disappeared in the dark... “You let her escape?!” Anna’s face was red with
anger while both soldiers hung their heads in shame. “We… tried to stop her, but… she tricked us,”
one of them said, covering his crotch with his hands. “I can see that,” the gladiatrix hissed. “Tell
Mauritius that I’m going after her.” “You want us to come along?” Anna threw them a haughty look. “I think you proofed
yourselves not fitted for the job. I’ll get her myself. And find some clothes,
you look like complete idiots.” Gabrielle had walked all night and her energy was
slowly fading away. She hadn’t eaten for a long time and it started to take
its toll. Fortunately it had rained, so thirst wasn’t her worst enemy. Light
was. It started to get morning and she knew that by now Anna would have warned
her men that she was on the run. If only she had been able to steal a horse...
But there had been too many soldiers around the stables. She rested her back
against an old oak and felt every muscle in her body ache. But she didn’t
grant herself much rest. She had to keep moving. She had to find Xena. She startled when she heard a loud crack. Was it behind
her? Or more to the right. She pricked up her ears and listened. But there was
nothing. Still her eyes searched the ground for a weapon. She slowly reached for
a branch... Before her fingers could touch the wet wood, it was
split into two by her own sai. In a fright she looked up and stared into
Anna’s eyes. In her raised hand she had the other sai, ready to strike. “The stroll is over. You’re coming with me.” “You will have to kill me. I’m not going back.” “I have killed before, Gabrielle. Don’t think I
would spare your life.” Gabrielle narrowed her eyes. “You keep forgetting.
I’ve killed too.” As quick as lightening she grabbed the sai! Blood stained Anne’s stomach as she dropped the
dagger. With bewildered eyes she
looked at the wound and collapsed. Gabrielle stood there paralyzed, the sai
still trembling in her hand. In horror she gazed at the arrow that stuck in
Anna’s stained back. When the gladiatrix tried to get up, she snapped out of
it. “Keep down,” Gabrielle said and she picked up her sais. She soon saw them: three horsemen, probably scouts. The
one who had shot down Anna was nearby and now aimed his bow at her. The arrow
missed her by a hair. She immediately took advantage of the fact that he had to
fetch another arrow and threw her sai. She hit him right in his chest. As his
horse galloped on, he slowly dropped sideways and fell off. The others were not
far away now. Gabrielle didn’t think twice and grabbed the reins of the dead
soldier’s horse. She jumped on it and reached out her hand to the deadly
wounded gladiatrix. “Take my hand!” There was a glance of disbelieve in Anna’s eyes. Then
she shook her head. “Save yourself. There’s no time...” Gabrielle turned her head and saw that the two troopers
were only yards away. She swiftly turned her horse and stormed at them. One of
the soldiers raised his sword, but hadn’t expect Gabrielle’s attack. She
slid sideways and cut his girth. When she looked back she saw the Roman lying on
the ground. She commanded her horse to a turn and pursued the other Roman. He
had also turned and now came gallopping towards her. Just when he wanted to lash
out to her, she made her horse make a sharp left turn. It passed right before
the other horse which staggered and threw off its rider. Gabrielle kicked her
heels in the stallion’s flanks and rushed over to Anna, who looked as white as
death. Gabrielle reached out her hand again. Impatiently, because she was well
aware that the two Romans were still alive. “Get up! I’m not leaving without
you!” Anna’s eyes revealed fear. Panic. It had a paralyzing
effect on her, for she didn’t move a muscle. Gabrielle fixed her gaze on
Anna’s eyes and even though she spoke softly, her voice was firm and
commanding: “Take my hand, Anna. Don’t think, just do it. NOW!” Trembling the gladiatrix reached out her hand. With all
of her power Gabrielle pulled her up on the horse and off they went. It had taken her two hours to reach the castellum. As
soon as she arrived at the Batavian headquarter, she was surrounded by soldiers.
One of the Batavians drew his sword and pointed it at Gabrielle, but Anna’s
faint voice stopped him: “Leave her alone. It’s okay.” The soldier still looked at her distrustfully, but put
his weapon away. While the men carried her inside on laid her on her
belly, Mauritius, her second in command said: “Where is that bloody doctor?” Soon a little grey man entered the room and started to
examine Anna’s wound. They were all watching him impatiently, until he
nervously turned around and murmured: “Get me some linen, your purest gin and
a red hot poker.” It was three hours later when Gabrielle saw the doctor
coming out of the room. “Is everything okay? Will she make it?” The old man wiped the sweat from his forehead and said:
“Yes. She’s a remarkably strong woman. Remarkably. Oh, she’s asking for
you. You may see her, but don’t make it too long. She needs her rest.” Gabrielle thanked the man and hesitatingly entered the
room. To her surprise she found Anna sitting in an upright position. “Shouldn’t you be lying down?” A grimace covered Anna’s face. “Doctors... I think
I know my body better than he does.” She looked the bard straight in the eye
and said: “Why did you do it? Why save me?” “I can’t let someone die.” Anna shook her head. “What about Xena? I don’t
understand you... I thought she was your best friend. Your soulmate.” The bard looked down and whispered: “That’s why she
will understand.” “I seriously doubt that. Claudius isn’t going to
keep her as a pet, Gabrielle. He will kill her!” “Don’t you think I know that?!” The bard fought
against the tears. “It was the right thing to do. Xena would have done the
same thing.” “But not for the right reasons. She’s all guilt.” “Makes it real easy for you, doesn’t it? Having
Xena as an excuse for everything you do.” They looked at each other in cold anger. “Well, you got what you wanted. How does it feel? Is
it as sweet as they say?” The gladiatrix didn’t answer. Gabrielle’s expression softened by the second. “You
don’t have to answer. It’s written all over your face.” Anna stared at her, but still kept quiet. “Revenge never works, Anna. I know you want to
believe it, because it kept you going for so long. But it’s an empty promise.
Xena’s death isn’t going to take the pain away. You’re a fool if you
believe that.” She paused a while and then said softly: “You’ve
come all this way to be free again. Don’t be a prisoner of your past.” Gabrielle turned to leave, but the gladiatrix stopped
her. “Where do you think you’re going?” The bard kept on walking. “I’m going to find Xena.
Try and stop me.” “Guards!” In seconds soldiers barred the door, leaving Gabrielle
no chance to escape. With difficulty the gladiatrix got out of her bed. She
straightened her back and walked over to the furious bard. “Don’t give me that look.” Anna’s face was
wrenched with pain, but she managed to smile. “We’ll go with you.” And then she addressed the soldiers: “Saddle the
horses.” Gabrielle looked at her in utter wonder. “You can’t
ride, not in your condition.” But the gladiatrix stubbornly adjusted her bandage.
“I’ll survive. You concentrate on your friend.” Gabrielle looked at her intently. “Are you sure you
want to help Xena?” “I’m doing this for you. Let’s go.”
Xena looked him straight in the eye. “Then
bring it on.” The
general grined. “I don’t think you quite understand what awaits you. It
would be too easy to just hang you. That’s so... barbaric. And personally
I’m really bored with crucifixions. Did
you know it sometimes take days for a convict to die?” Xena
didn’t answer. “I’m much more a man of action. That’s why I
organized a little game. One last chance to show the people what a wonderful
warrior you are. Isn’t that nice of me?” “You know what would be really nice? You against me.” The general laughed out loud. “Forget it, Xena, I
know your reputation. Besides... I like to watch.” Xena stood in the center of a small arena, surrounded
by walls and wooden stands above it. The crowd yelled at her, calling her names
while archers watched her every move. But they all became silent when general
Claudius rose and roared: “Citizens of Belgica, I give you the warrior
princess... Xena. She will face death in this arena, for she betrayed her
mistress: Rome. Let
the games begin!” The
crowd cheered. Xena watched the doors in anticipation, clenching her fists. She had no
armor, no weapons. Suddenly the doors opened and five gladiators walked in. One
black slave carried a bludgeon, a blonde guy had a lance in his hand, another
gladiator brought a shield and axe along with him and two others depended on
their swords. It wasn’t supposed to be a match... They surrounded the unarmed Xena, but she didn’t seem
intimidated. Instead she gave them a challenging look and hissed: “What are
you waiting for? For
mommy to come pick you up?” The gladiators looked at each other. Angry for being
laughed at. And
they assaulted. They all ran for her. Only seconds before the warrior with the lance
would reach her, she flipped in the air and landed a yard away. He could not
avoid the crash... His long weapon disappeared into the intestines of his fellow
gladiator. As the deadly wounded warrior dropped his axe, Xena picked it op and
swung it above her head. Her face was all grin. And that made her opponents even
more furious. The blonde gladiator pulled his lance out of the corpse and
stormed at her. Xena had her eyes on him, but she suddenly threw her axe at the
African warrior. He had not at all expected this sudden attack and the blade
entered his unprotected chest. Meanwhile Xena shifted her upper body to avoid
the incoming lance. And again when he tried to stuck it into her ribs. His third
try didn’t fail... The iron tip entered her side, and she lost balance. Her
attacker immediately anticipated and used both ends of the lance to beat on her
ribs. Just when he thought that the warrior princess was going to lose
conscience, she suddenly grabbed the lance with both hands and twisted it until
the gladiator could no longer hold on to it. As soon as he let go, she gave him
a butt of the head! As he stumbled backwards, she grabbed the lance with both
hands, stuck one end in the ground and pushed off. With a tremendous force she
kicked his chin with both feet. He was out. She had her back against the only two gladiators left
now. But she heard their every move. They came storming at her, next to each other. Same
speed. Close
by now. Exactly at the right time she flipped backwards. As she landed right
behind one of them, she thrust the lance in his back. He was long dead before he
hit the ground. There was only one gladiator left. Xena intercepted the blow
from his sword, but the iron spearhead of her lance broke off. The gladiator
smiled viciously and cut off pieces of the wooden pole, each time he lashed out
with his blade. In the end Xena only held a piece of a few inches. “Time to die,” he hissed and raised his sword. “You got that right,” Xena answered, as she thrust
the sharply cut off pole in his carotid artery. The gladiator’s expression
couldn’t have showed more suprise, when she pulled the stick out and blood
poured out of his body. The last gladiator was down and out. You could hear a
pin fall in the arena, nobody moved, nobody spoke. He threw the warrior princess a furious look. “It
isn’t over yet, Xena. You wíll get what you deserve.” Then he commanded to his troops: “Remove the corpses
and their weapons. And then send out the beast.” Xena watched the soldiers drag away the gladiators. She
knew that Claudius would never let her leave the arena alive. He would give his
archers the command to kill her, if he had to. Even if it meant defeat, a
disgrace. And for a moment she considered the option of provoking the firing
squad. But in a way she was curious about Claudius’ next weapon. So she
waited. Minutes went by and the crowd became impatient. They
wanted to see blood. And they didn’t really care if it was Xena’s or
somebody else’s. But suddenly everybody held their breath when the doors
opened. Even Xena’s eyes became large when she looked at her adversary. An enormous bear growled at her! His eyes were
bloodstained, his teeth white with foam, his fur covered with blood. It was
apparant that the Romans had tortured him with spears, just to make him angry.
And he was. As soon as the doors closed and he saw the woman in front of him, he
roared, showing his incredible big teeth. Xena gritted herself as the animal
stormed at her. She wanted to leap in the air, but his mighty claw slammed her
down. The blood dripped from her shoulder and she could see the marks of his
nails. The bear got on his hind legs and roared again. The crowd got wild and
began to scream: “Kill her! Kill her!” Xena stumbled on her feet and a stab of pain flashed
through her left shoulder. It
was clearly dislocated. The warrior princess gritted her teeth and tried to
think. But there wasn’t much time. The bear was on four legs again and
suddenly leapt forward. Xena turned quickly and ran for her life. The crowd
laughed as they saw her flee, knowing that there was no escape for her. She was
surrounded by walls. With the enraged beast breathing in her neck Xena ran
as fast as she could. But her shoulder was heavy and she was fighting to stay
conscious. He was closing in, so near behind her. In a flash she saw something
lying on the floor, something shiny. Too late, she thought. She couldn’t stop
now. No, she had to go on. With a last burst of energy she ran against the wall
and pushed off. Off-balanced, because of her shoulder, she smacked to the
ground. The bear could only just prevent himself from clashing into the wall.
Xena feverishly searched the ground... There it was: the broken-off spearhead of
her lance. Without giving it another thought she cried out her war cry, jumped
on the bear’s back and thrust the blade in his neck. The animal roared with
anger and shook her off, but it was too late. The blade had entered his spine
and he dropped dead to the ground. Xena breathed heavily as she got on her feet. She
grabbed her left shoulder and gave it a jerk. The pain was almost unbearable,
but it died away when she felt the bone get back in its proper place. She wiped
away the sweat on her forehead and saw that Claudius had left his seat. Soon the
doors opened and he came walking towards her. The crowd was silent, eagerly awaiting the events. “You fought well,” he said, keeping a safe distance
and giving his archers a clear shot on Xena. “Spare me your compliments.” “Very well. It would have been so much more becoming
if you had died a warriors death. But you leave me no choice... Any last
request?” “Not one you can grant me.” “Suit yourself.” He bowed his head and whispered:
“It has been a pleasure.” Claudius raised his voice and shouted: “In the name
of Rome, I sentence this woman to death. Archers!” He lifted his hand. Xena looked at her executioners. Claudius’s hand dropped… Suddenly chaos took over. The wooden stands on which
the archers stood collapsed! A cloud of dust filled the air and people screamed
as they tried to get out. Claudius drew his sword and turned with a grim mask to
Xena. “Seems I have to finish you off myself!” He was in the middle of swaying his blade at her, when
he seemed to freeze. The light in his eyes slowly died as he stared at Xena.
Then his knees no longer were able to keep the weight and he collapsed. A red
arrow stuck from the back of his skull. When Xena looked up, she stared into the
face of the archer. It was Anna... Anna and her men had tied ropes around the wooden
pillars of the stands. The
horses had done the rest. The stage collapsed and in the confusion the Batavian
troops had no trouble with overpowering the Romans. Anna walked towards the
center of the arena and stopped next to the dead body of Claudius. She squatted
down and whispered: “Attacking from the back is not my style. But then again,
you didn’t deserve an honorable death. See you in hell, Claudius.” Anna got up again and walked over to Xena.
There was a mixture of surprise and gratefulness lying
in the warrior princess’ eyes.
“Thanks.” “Thank Gabrielle. She can be quite persuasive.” Anna laughed but her expression changed when she felt a
sting of pain in her stomach. She hid it well, but Xena had noticed. She
immediately saw the bloodstains on Anna’s clothes. “What happened?” “I bumped into a Roman arrow. If it wasn’t for
Gabrielle... Well, we both owe her.” The gladiatrix drew Xena’s sword from her sheath.
“I believe this belongs to you. Someone told me that it’s not the past that
matters. It’s doing the right thing, despite the past. I guess that’s what
you’re trying to do.” Xena took the sword and stared at it, confused, almost
dazed. “Anna, I...” Xena clenched her jaws, fighting back the tears. “Are
you sure?” Finally Xena took Anna’s wrist and they stood there
for a while. Then Anna abruptly let go and became her collected self again.
“Take good care of Gabrielle. She’s special.”
“I forgot, you’re wounded,” the bard murmured
with a guilty look on her face. “Are you okay?” Xena smiled. “Never been better.” Gabrielle peered at Anna, who gathered her troops and
was about to leave. “Who would have thought she would save you.” Xena clung her arm around the bard’s shoulder and
lightly kissed her forehead. “Maybe she had help from an angel.” Gabrielle looked up and grined. “Who knows.” She pointed at their horses. “The Batavian guard
found them. What do you say we head back to Greece.” The warrior princess smiled. “Sounds good to me.” When Xena reached her horse she took the reins, trying
to hide the pain in her shoulder. As she put one foot in the stirrup and one
hand on the saddle, Gabrielle said: “Need a leg up?” Xena looked indignantly down on her. “Don’t even
think about it.” “Alright,” the bard said, secretly smiling. “Just
asking.”
“I’ve had it,” Gabrielle said. “It’s cold,
it’s dark, I have saddle-soreness... Let’s make camp.” Xena’s expression showed a mixture of emotion and
indignation. “You don’t have to spare me. I’m fine.” But the bard dismounted anyway. “Good, cause I need
someone to build a big fire. I’m freezing.” Xena couldn’t help but smile and dismounted as well. It wasn’t long before the bard lay on her bedroll
next to the fire. Gabrielle covered herself with the thick bearskin she got from
Anna and rubbed her cold nose. “I can’t wait to feel the warmth of the sun.
I don’t know how these people can live here.” Xena lay her sword next to the bedroll and crawled
under the skin. “In the end you get used to anything.” “Is that so, hey?” And Gabrielle stuck an icy foot
between Xena’s calves. Xena shrieked. “Alright, you made your point. Keep
your feet away from me.” “Or what?” “Or... I’ll take the tourist route to Greece.” “You wouldn’t!” “Do you really want to find out?” Gabrielle removed her foot, just in case. She propped
herself up on an elbow and traced Xena’s nose with her finger. “How’s the
shoulder?” Xena gazed at her through her dark lashes. “Good
enough,” she answered slowly. The bard’s finger now followed the lines of Xena’s
lips. “How about your ribs?” “Getting better by the minute,” the warrior
answered huskily. Gabrielle’s finger slowly went down, tracking the
throbbing artery in her neck and finally resting in the hollow of her
collarbone. Then she lightly kissed the skin underneath it. “Does this
hurt?” Xena closed her eyes and murmured: “In a nice kind of
way...” Gabrielle slowly let her lips play with the flank of
her neck. “And this?” “Sensitive...” Gabrielle moved over to Xena’s earlobe. “I’ll be
extra careful,” and she traced Xena’s auricle with her tongue. “Is this
gentle enough for you?” The warrior princess shivered when she heard Gabrielle
breathe in her ear. She grabbed the back of her head and led her mouth to hers. Xena smiled seductively. “No harm in trying...” When the bard woke, Xena was already up. Gabrielle
yawned and watched how the warrior princess cleaned the deep marks of the
bear’s claw on her shoulder. “Let me clean that wound for you.” Xena glanced at her warmly. “No need. I’m almost
done.” The bard got up anyway and looked concernedly down on
her beaten up friend. “How are you feeling?” Xena loosened up her muscles and answered: “A bit
stiff. But that’s not strange, considering.” A smile play on her lips when Gabrielle said: “Told
you we should practice more often. You’re getting rusty.” Xena playfully lashed out at the bard with her wet
cloth. “I was referring to my little get-together with a bear.” Xena looked over her shoulder and cocked her eyebrows.
“I’m afraid that’s your work.” “U-huh.” The bard flushed. “By the gods...” She walked over to her saddlebag, while Xena secretly
grined. To her surprise the bard found a brand new scroll between her other
stuff. She took it out and examined the red ribbon that held it together more
closely. “A braid from Anna’s hair,” she whispered. She showed it to Xena and said: “Can you believe
that? She gave me a new scroll! That’s so sweet. I never expected her to do a
thing like that.” Xena’s eyes glowed. “Well, Anna has a way of
surprising people.” Gabrielle sighed as she sat down next to Xena.
“Don’t remind me. When she told me she was going to sell you... I never saw
that one coming. Well, who could have?” Xena kept silent. The bard’s face became red with anger. “Don’t
tell me you knew of her plan! Cause if you did...” “I didn’t! But I think Julius tried to warn me. He
said something about being stabbed in the back. It didn’t dawn on me then that
he was referring to Anna. But I think he saw right through her.” “Not bad for an one-eyed man,” Gabrielle giggled. “He had a theory about that. The more you see, the less you notice.” “That’s so deep!” Gabrielle cried out. “I think
I’ll use that for my story about Anna and Batavia.” Xena began to pack their stuff. “Don’t forget to
mention my name once in a while.” “Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of scenes.
Mostly action scenes of course.” “Are you saying I have nothing sensible to say?” “No. But let’s face it, you’re not exactly
talkative.” “Hm.” “I rest my case.” Xena mounted her horse and looked grumpily down on her.
“If you have nothing nice to say, then I suggest we get going.” Gabrielle smiled. “You’re so touchy.” “I guess that’s a yes.” And she spurred her
horse. The bard quickly jumped on her horse and went after
her. She soon rode alongside her. Gabrielle peeped at the
warrior’s stern face and tried not to smile. “Slow it down, will ya. I want
to make up. And as proof of my good intentions, I’ll promise to pen down a
memorable quote from your lips.” “Too late,” Xena grunted. “Come on, this is your chance to save your words of
wisdom from oblivion.” “Alright.” Xena pulled her horse to a stop. “How
about... If you can’t beat them, pinch
them!” Gabrielle’s reaction wasn’t hopeful. “Mwoah.” “Okay. If you
think life’s hard, try my sword. How’s that?” Gabrielle gave her a pitying look. “This is your gift
to mankind we’re talking about. Can’t you think of something a little less
violent?” “Xena, that’s great! People will use that line
centuries from now. I should jot it down right away.” The warrior princess gave her a warning look.
“Gabrielle, don’t even think about quoting me!” “Can’t do that, Xena. As a bard I have a duty to
pass on a beautiful phrase like that.” “You know what? I decided to take the tourist route
to Greece after all. I hear Siberia is quite lovely this time of the year.” “Now, hold on. Would sweet talk help?” “Save your breath.” “Alright. Just one thing though...” Gabrielle
secretly looked at Xena. “That bear scar really becomes you.” Xena threw her a pitying look. “Oh please!” There was nothing secretive about the way Gabrielle’s
eyes lingered on her friend’s
body now. “It gives you something... wild.” “Not listening,” the warrior princess answered
sternly, but her voice revealed a hint of interest. Gabrielle smiled and continued on a sultry tone:
“It’s very sexy. Makes me wanna
touch it.” “Hm. Go on.” “Keep heading south and we have a deal...”
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