Cover by ForevaXena

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The sun was warm on their backs as Xena and Gabrielle traveled east.  They had started rather later than planned, and were looking at a couple of day’s journey before they reached Amphipolis and Xena’s mother.  It was just a few days ago they had received word that Cyrene wanted to see them, much to Xena and Gabrielle’s relief when they heard she was still alive.  So much had changed since Eve was born and they had spent 25 years in Ares’ icy tomb.

Although Xena and Gabrielle were leery of leaving Eve, Eve had insisted that they should go.  Since the battle on Olympus the few gods that remained alive had made it clear that they would rather drift into oblivion instead of die at the end of Xena’s sword.  In fact, the last time Aphrodite dropped in to make sure her "little one" had fully recovered she assured Gabrielle and Xena that Eve had nothing to fear. 

However, even if there was nothing to fear from the gods, there were always the humans to worry about.  Xena would not take Eve with them until she was sure the way to Amphipolis would be safe to travel.  Xena detested the fact that she no longer knew the lay of the land. 

Before their icy incarceration she always knew which warlord or king was a problem and what paths to take.  Now, she would have to learn all over again.  Take where they were now for example.  The fair and just Lord Ranold that Xena and Gabrielle had considered a friend had ruled this territory.  Now all Xena knew was that his grandson Philip was ruler, but she had no idea what type of leader he was.

Gabrielle was so happy to be on the road again with Xena.  For too long it seemed to Gabrielle that her relationship with Xena was less satisfying than it had been.  In some ways it had not been the same since she held Xena in her arms before Caesar crucified them.  After they were raised from the dead, there were always so many people around that things felt different.   If only they could have had more time together perhaps Gabrielle would not be feeling like they had drifted apart.  As that thought crossed Gabrielle’s mind she felt guilty. Most of the companions they travelled with after their resurrection died before, during or after they spent the 25 years in Ares icy tomb...Eli martyred by Ares, Amarice killed when the Amazons were attacked, and Joxer...dear Joxer.  Gabrielle hoped they had all found each other in Heaven.  Then Eve had been born and they had to adjust to being a family of three.  That would have been an adjustment even without the attacks of the gods against Eve.  Even during the brief time they had with Eve before their 25-year stint in Ares’ icy tomb, there was one time they considered separating for a few weeks.  "Thanks be that we did not separate," thought Gabrielle "for if we had who knows but that I might not be with Xena now."

For the last few months they had been staying with Eve and the followers of Eli as Eve learned about her destiny.  Although no longer under attack from the gods, Gabrielle felt the distance between herself and Xena grow, as they were so busy with Eve.  But, somehow, Gabrielle thought there was something more than the time spent getting to know the adult Eve to the distance she felt between herself and Xena.  She just did not know what it was.  As they trotted along Gabrielle’s thoughts turned to all the good times they had spent together over the last five years and a smile formed on her lips.

I was just lying there totally useless to Xena because of the poison from the Persian arrow that hit me.  All I could do was cough...and keep Xena from abandoning her mission to slow down the Persians.  She so wanted to take me to get the serum and to hell with what would happen to Greece.  I just couldn’t let her.  Just before the army came thundering in on their horses, I remember our words...

"All I want is to be with you right now.  You are my best friend, my family.  I love you Gabrielle."  

"I love you Xena"

"Until the other side then.  We will be together."

"‘Till then."

We got out of that one when Xena defeated the whole army.  Then there was the time on that wretched boat, I hate boats, after we had freed Vercinix and I was struggling with my role in Crassus’s death.  I was so relieved when Xena came over to me.  I needed to talk about it and Xena is not the best talker to say the least!

"I don’t know what is happening to me Xena.  I did something that I never thought I’d be able to do.  I played judge, jury and executioner."

"You only did what I told you to."

"You said Crassus living or dying wasn’t the point.  I had a choice.  I made it."

"Gabrielle, I put you into a situation I had no right to.  Expected you to understand my logic and ignore your heart."

"But I know you were right."

"It wasn’t right for you.  That’s not who you are...if I had to do this all over again."

"You’d still do it."

"If I couldn’t find another way I would, but I wouldn’t include you.

"Yea, but I would be hurt if you didn’t."

"How many more times are you going to follow me into battle, huh?  How many more times am I going to hurt you?  You are the most dear thing to me in all the world.  Yet, instead of protecting you..."

"I’m here because I want to be here.  I love you Xena."

"I love you too Gabrielle."

Xena put her hand over mine and we stayed side by side looking out over the side of the boat for the longest time. 

I wonder how different my life would have been if Xena had sent me away that first night when I joined her by the campfire.  I would not have gone home.  I didn’t fit in there, but where would I have ended up?  Hum, I can’t image being with anyone else.  Being with Xena is my destiny.  Thanks be she decided to let me stay, threw a blanket at me, and told me where to sleep.

Had Gabrielle taken the time to analyze the memories that were making her smile, she would have realized that they were all times when they were up to their wazoos in trouble, or had just got out of some sticky situation -- like dying or recovering from being dead.  Somehow those difficult times were always the times she had felt particularly close to Xena.

Xena looked over at Gabrielle, saw the smile on her face and wondered what on earth Gabrielle was thinking about.  It had been several hours since Gabrielle last spoke.  "It used to be", thought Xena, "that I had to offer a dinar to get Gabrielle to stop talking!"

"Gabrielle..."

"Hmmm, yes Xena...."

"A dinar for your thoughts..."

Gabrielle turned in her saddle and looked at the warrior "Well, I was just thinking about just how much like old times this is.  Our being on the road together..."

"Yeah right, just like old times except have you forgotten that you used to think horses were built way too far off the ground for you?  And I never used to have to offer you a dinar for your thoughts!"

Gabrielle smiled as she patted her horse.  "Ok, I agree I’ve changed a bit.  On the topic of horses, how is Argo the Second doing?"

"You know Gabrielle, it’s the most amazing thing.  She knows everything her mother did.  She knows my commands and how to cope with my moods..."

"Yeah and we all know how tough that is."

After Xena took a swipe at Gabrielle she continued "yes, she knows when she needs to be calm and when she can play around.  I can’t believe that Joxer trained her so well."

"Xena, Joxer did not do the training alone.  Think about it.  Remember how Argo always knew how you were feeling?  How she even knew you were pregnant when you didn’t?"

"Yeah?"

"Well I’m sure that Argo knew we were not dead but she couldn’t find us.  She knew we would be back, eventually, and she trained her daughter to be ready for you."

Xena sighed. "Probably.  I just wish that I could have been with Eve to teach her as she was growing up." 

"We both wish that we could have been there for her."

Xena sighed again and decided to change topics.  "So Gabrielle, tell me about the ‘old times’ you were so fondly remembering."

"I was thinking about all sorts of our adventures...like the time I was poisoned and you beat the stuffing out of the Persian army.  It seems that I was always getting into trouble and you were saving me.  Think about it, we had some really good times"

Xena started to think about all their adventures and image after image of Gabrielle in trouble, in pain, dying, dead flooded her mind.  The most vivid of all was the image of her chakram sailing through the air and mortally wounding Gabrielle.  If it were not for Aphrodite and Ares she would have lost Gabrielle.  A visible shudder ran through her body.

The shudder did not go unnoticed by Gabrielle.  She had seen the same one many times since the battle on Olympus.  She suspected the cause of the shudder was something that happened during the battle.  Too bad she did not know what happened.  Being unconscious makes it tough to remember things.  All she could remember was being hit from behind then Xena saying to her that she couldn’t die and that she was the purest thing in Xena’s life.  Gabrielle did not even remember what hit her. 

"Xena?"

"Gabrielle, it’s nothing"

"I don’t think so Xena."

Xena hesitated "ok so it is something..."

Just then the snapping of a twig stopped Xena mid-sentence.  In a second they were both off their horses, Xena with sword drawn and Gabrielle with her staff in hand (she still had her sai’s but had decided to only use them in extreme situations.)  Out of the woods to their left came about 10 men.  Fighting back to back Xena and Gabrielle rapidly knocked them down, with a thud here and a crunch there, until all the attackers were on the ground.  As the men struggled to regroup and attack again a young sounding voice called out

"Stop, she is not the one we want.  Neither of them are."

Into the clearing rode a very young man.  He surveyed the damage that Xena and Gabrielle had done to his men with displeasure.  Jumping down from his horse he approached Xena and Gabrielle. 

"I apologise for my men.  They are searching for a fierce warrior woman in order to avenge my father’s death.  I guess they attacked, mistaking you for her.  My name is Philip, son of Ceptus and grandson of Ranold."

"My name is Xena.  This is Gabrielle.  We knew your grandfather.  What happened to him?" 

Looking at Xena a flicker of recognition lit up Philip’s eyes as he replied "My grandfather was killed during a hunt.  Seems he was mistaken for the deer."

Gabrielle winced slightly "tell us about your father."

"He took my grandfather’s place and about four years later this woman warrior Gaia started to attack one of the villages.  My father called out the militia and went after her.  He was carrying the family’s scared daggers, did my grandfather ever tell you about them?"

"Nope" replied Xena as she looked closely at Philip, her blue eyes not showing any emotion.  Looking over at her, Gabrielle could see that Xena was definitely in warrior mode. 

"Well, they have been in the family for generations and are only carried in times of great trouble.  That bitch of a warrior not only killed my father, but also made away with one of the daggers.  Recently we have had reports that she is in these forests and I want her.  Xena, will you help us?"

Xena paused before answering "Yes, but only if we come across her in our journey to Amphipolis or back.  How will we know her?" 

Philip responded "She is a tall woman, perhaps your height Xena, in her mid to late thirties.  You will be able to identify her by a long scar running up her left leg.  In self-defence, my father caused the scar with one of the scared daggers.  The most distinctive feature of the scar is that it bears no sign of stitches.  Please be careful.  She is a dangerous woman and I would not like to think of her harming a friend of the family."

Gabrielle smiled at the notion of anyone harming Xena, the killer of the gods. 

Xena’s face, on the other hand, showed no sign of a smile "very well.  I assume we have safe passage through your lands?"

"Of course" he replied.  "I will send word ahead so you are not accidentally attacked again."

"Thanks.  Gabrielle, lets go." 

After Philip watched them trot out of the clearing, he turned to his men.  "Listen, this is a great stroke of luck.  Xena has no idea that I’m not like my grandfather.  The villagers won’t take kindly to my killing Gaia given they view her as a bit of a hero for doing away with my father.  With any luck at all Xena and her sidekick will kill Gaia and save us the trouble!  So, nobody get in her way."

After a few minutes of trotting away from Philip, Gabrielle turned to Xena and said:

"Xena, do you trust that man?"

"Nope.  I don’t think things are as straightforward as Philip would like us to believe.  My gut is saying that something is wrong.  I just don’t know what.  Let’s keep moving.  I’d like to have some more distance behind us before we stop and make camp for the night."

In silence they trotted on for about another hour or so and Gabrielle continued enjoying her memories.  Xena was preoccupied with trying to understand what bothered her about Philip and, when she did not think about Philip, the vision of Gabrielle’s blood on her chakram haunted her.

Gabrielle’s enjoyment of her memories was dimmed whenever she thought about either Joxer or looked over at Xena.  "Ah Joxer.  I wish you hadn’t died trying to save me.  I wish that you hadn’t loved me so much.  Your love for me was of a sort that I couldn’t return.  If only Xena and I could share that sort of..." With a blush Gabrielle stopped mid thought and turned to look at Xena.  It seemed that there was a black cloud over her head and the scowl on Xena’s face was more than what should have been there if she was just trying to figure out Philip. "I know how much she hates talking about her feelings, but I’ll have to try to pry whatever is bothering her out of her.  Probably I’ll have better luck after we set up camp." 

Gabrielle would have continued to muse about Xena had the warrior not stopped Argo and looked around.  Gabrielle pulled up beside her. 

"Do you remember the glen in the wood we used to camp in?  It seems to me it is not far from here and would be a good place to set-up for the night."

"I remember.  Here’s hoping it has not totally grown over."

They turned into the wood along a path that, although grown over, had been used by someone recently. As the path narrowed they dismounted and continued single file. After ten minutes or so things started to look vaguely familiar and the path widened out to the point they could travel abreast of each other. 

Suddenly Xena stopped. Just ahead a woman was bending over to collect firewood from the forest floor.  Instinctively Gabrielle reached over and took Argo’s reins from Xena as the warrior princess started to move towards the woman.

She was older than they were (ignoring the 25 years they spent "on ice" of course), dark haired, had no weapons, and was wearing a simple shirt and short skirt.  As the woman stood up with her wood, Gabrielle could tell that she was at least Xena’s height although somewhat heavier set and her face showed what Gabrielle could only interpret as extreme sadness.  As she turned towards Xena and Gabrielle, the late afternoon light lit up a scar running up he left leg.  That was enough for Xena.  With a whoop and a flip she was in front of the woman.  Not surprisingly the woman dropped her wood and backed up.  Gabrielle expected Xena to break off her attack and start talking to the woman.  But the expected did not happen.  Xena attacked.

A defensive blow deflected each blow Xena threw at the woman, and the woman didn’t take the offensive until Xena had her backed up under a large tree.  Then one quick kick to put Xena off balance allowed the woman to do a back flip up onto a tree branch.  In an instant Xena had her chakram off her hip and in the air towards the point where the branch met the tree.  Then, as quick as a cat pouncing on its prey, the woman reached down and grabbed the chakram out of mid air just before it struck the tree limb.  The catch itself and the resemblance of this woman to Xena as she grabbed the chakram out of the air startled Gabrielle.

Balanced on the tree branch stood a fierce looking woman.  A quick glance over at Gabrielle ensured her that Xena was the only threat.  With an edge on her voice sharper than Xena’s sword the woman angrily said "What in the name of the gods are you doing? Why are you attacking an unarmed woman who did nothing to provoke you?  Are you crazy?  Who are you?  What is this deadly little toy of yours?"

Before Xena could retort or react to having her chakram called a ‘little toy’ Gabrielle spoke up. "She is Xena and I am Gabrielle.  We are looking for someone." 

Without taking her eyes off Xena, but obviously addressing Gabrielle, the woman in the tree responded, "Well, you sure have a peculiar method of locating someone, don’t you?  Kill them first then ask their name!  So, who are you trying to find?"

"Gaia, the warrior" replied Gabrielle.

The change in countenance that swept over the woman was astounding.  It was as if all of her anger was swept away on the breezes rustling through the tree she was standing in.  Her head bowed, her shoulders slumped and the hand holding the chakram fell to her side.   Then with one flip she was out of the tree and standing in front of Xena.  As the two women looked at each other Gabrielle again saw a startling resemblance between Xena and the other woman.  When the woman briefly glanced over at Gabrielle the extreme sadness the bard had seen earlier was back in the woman’s eyes.   Facing Xena the woman said in the softest tone imaginable, "Gaia the warrior has been gone for many years.  My name is Ariel.  Here is your toy, Warrior."

"So you know her...."

"Perhaps, Gabrielle, better to say that I knew her" said Ariel as she slowly turned from looking eye to eye with Xena.  "It is getting late.  I am camping in the clearing, and providing the fire has not gone out the rabbit stew should be almost ready.  Why don’t you join me for the night?"

As soon as the words were out of Ariel’s mouth a wave of disappointment flowed over Gabrielle.  She had been so looking to spending time alone with Xena, yet once again they would have company.  Of course Xena was sure to accept the offer so she could keep an eye on Ariel and figure out the mystery of Gaia.

Xena and Ariel both saw the disappointment on Gabrielle’s face even though it was only there for a split second.  Xena guessed the cause and was considering saying no thank you to Ariel, but knew that there was more to understand about Ariel.  With a small smile to Gabrielle to let her know that she disappointed too, Xena said "thanks, we would appreciate it."

As Ariel led the way down the path Xena and Gabrielle walked behind with the horses.  With glance at Ariel and an upraised eyebrow Gabrielle silently asked if Xena thought Ariel was Gaia.  Xena responded with an ever so slight nod and a slightly puzzled look.  ‘Hmmm’, thought Gabrielle, ‘Xena does think that Ariel is Gaia, but there is something that is puzzling her.  We need to find a place to talk.’

After they arrived at the clearing they emptied their saddlebags and took the horses to give them water.  Then they had their chance to talk. 

"Gabrielle, there is something that is really fishy going on.  I’m sure Ariel is Gaia.  Nobody but a warrior could have defended herself nor have caught my chakram.  She fits the physical description Philip gave us, but if she were really the vicious warrior he claimed she was, she would have tried to take me out.  I don’t get it."

"Perhaps she had a conversion like yours since the time she killed Philip’s father.  I know another warrior who turned from evil ways."  Gabrielle looked up, put a hand on Xena’s arm and smiled at the warrior. 

"Maybe, but my gut is saying something else is going on and that somehow it all flows back to Philip. Until I know if she is friend or foe, I would rather know where she is.  Sorry, I know you were looking forward to it just being the two of us tonight."

"OK Xena." Under her breath Gabrielle continued, "you have no idea just how much I wanted us to be together."  Warrior ears heard her, but Xena said nothing.

They headed back with the horses, took off the saddles and bridles and then put halters on and left them to graze near the campsite.  It was starting to get chilly as they walked back to the campfire and they, although disappointed about not having the camp to themselves, were thankful for the warmth of Ariel’s fire and the delicious smell of rabbit stew. 

As they drew closer they could hear singing.  Gabrielle was sure she had heard the song before and even the voice singing it, but for a second she could not place it.  Then it struck her like a thunderbolt.  It was Xena’s lullaby for Eve.  But the voice singing it could not be Xena’s, for Xena was standing beside her as if rooted in stone.  It must be Ariel.  Just then Xena found her voice and growled "where did you learn that song?"

Ariel stopped singing and looked up.  As soon as she saw the shocked look on the faces of Xena and Gabrielle she said "What is it?  Did I do something wrong?"

"Just tell me where you learned that song," Xena said between gritted teeth.

"Come, sit.  I will tell you the whole story."  Although Xena would have preferred to have heard the answer a little more directly than in story form she sat by the fire, as did Gabrielle.  As soon as they were seated, Ariel started the story.  "I was born in Amphipolis." (If Ariel noticed the start both her guests gave at the name of Xena’s hometown she did not show it.) "And for the first ten or so years of my life it was a wonderful place to live.  It was safe and the people were so welcoming of a curious child.  I used to love to sit in the inn run by Cyrene (another start by Xena and Gabrielle) and watch the people.  Cyrene used to say I was as curious as her daughter was.  Then everything changed when I was about 11 years old.  Athena brought her armies to lay siege to Amphipolis in order to get at Eve, Cyrene’s granddaughter.  I was so scared one day after almost getting hit by an arrow that I hid in a special the corner of the inn that only I knew about.  Then I heard the music.  A woman was singing to her baby this most gorgeous lullaby.  I was very quiet and learned all the words and would sing it with the woman on the other side of the wall.  It was a comfort to me than and still is now.  When Athena was defeated and her armies left the woman who sang the lullaby sang no more.  I missed hearing her voice.  Now why did you react to the lullaby the way you did?"

Before Gabrielle could say anything Xena said "My family used to live in Amphipolis and I learned the same lullaby there.  I just have not heard it in years and it startled me that’s all." 

Fortunately before Ariel could ask anymore questions, Gabrielle’s stomach growled.  Xena smiled at her and then looked to Ariel, "I hope you have lot’s of stew, Gabrielle is almost impossible to fill up!"

The stew was good and during supper Gabrielle made sure that the conversation stayed well away from the topic of Amphipolis.  It was too weird that this woman was a child when they were in Amphipolis fighting to protect the town and Eve from Athena.  Even weirder that she had overheard Xena singing to Eve and learned her lullaby.  Gabrielle saw in her mind’s eye the main square of Amphipolis with arrows sailing over the embankment and Xena flying through the air towards a young girl.  At the very last second Xena was able to grab the arrow headed directly for the girl.  Could Ariel have been the girl Xena saved?

After supper Gabrielle asked Ariel about Gaia.  Ariel’s story about Gaia was fairly general.  She was a fierce female warrior initially on a path of evil who turned towards good.  After her conversion she helped defend a town suffering under the oppression of Ceptus who was quite a different character from his father.  During the course of the battle Ceptus was killed and Gaia departed.  Her war cry has never been heard since.  The story had the ring of truth to it but Xena was sure that there was a lot more to the story. 

It was late and sleep beckoned, so they cleaned up from their meal that had fully satisfied all of them, Gabrielle included.  Xena and Gabrielle set up their bedrolls on the opposite side of the fire from Ariel’s.  Xena kept her sword close at hand out of habit as she settled down beside Gabrielle.  She didn’t think she would need it, as she believed Ariel was not a threat.  A mystery maybe, but not a threat.  Sleep came quickly to all of them.

The moon was high when Xena woke.  Her hair trigger senses were telling her that, while there was no threat of danger, there was something amiss. Her back was to the fire and she was facing Gabrielle.  Keeping her breathing steady so that no one would know she was awake, she opened her eyes.  One look and she knew that whatever was bothering her senses had nothing to do with Gabrielle.  The bard was sound asleep with the corners of her lips turned upwards ever so slightly.  It looked like she was enjoying her dream. 

Listening intently Xena strained to hear Ariel whose bedroll was on the other side of the fire.  Gradually Xena could discern that Ariel was sitting by the fire and it sounded like she had her head in her hands and occasionally ran her hands through her hair.  Xena was startled to realize that Ariel had gotten out of her bedroll and moved beside the fire, a position even closer to Xena’s back, without Xena’s warning bells going off full blast.  Xena was somewhat at a loss as to what she should do.  To "wake up" and try to talk to Ariel would not be fruitful.  Ariel had been politely hostile towards Xena since their exchange in the woods.  Ariel would only speak when spoken to or when necessity demanded and she would only address Xena as "Warrior".  However, during supper Ariel had warmed up to the bard. Too bad Gabrielle was asleep.  As close as Gabrielle was to Xena, Xena could not risk moving to wake her up.  Ariel would be sure to notice.  "Come on Gabrielle," thought Xena "wake up for me."

Gabrielle was having the nicest of dreams.  She and Xena were on the road with nobody else near them.  They were enjoying each other’s company, exchanging stories, laughs, and pleasant silences as they traveled along.  Finding a pond with a waterfall in the background they went for a swim and Xena was catching a fish for supper.  Gabrielle went to the shore to dry off and sat on a warm rock watching her warrior fish, the sun shining off Xena’s black hair and tanned body.  What could be more glorious?  After watching for a few minutes, Gabrielle lay back on the rock and found she was getting drowsy in the afternoon sun.  Then she heard Xena calling...

Gabrielle realized she was awake but had not opened her eyes.  "Rats" she thought, "I was having such a nice dream.  I wonder what woke me."  She listened and could hear Xena’s regular breathing right beside her.  She could also hear the crackle of the embers from the fire, and the slow movement of the horses grazing behind her.  She could not hear any movement from Ariel.  Gabrielle was about to go back to sleep when she had the distinct feeling Xena wanted her.  Slowly, she opened her eyes and was rewarded by having Xena’s blue eyes look back at her.  With an ever so slight arch of her eyebrow, Gabrielle silently asked what was going on.  Xena’s response was a quick flick of her eyes over her shoulder towards the fire.  Gabrielle knew what Xena wanted and started to get up.  As she did Gabrielle smiled to herself and thought "well, we sure are better at our signals that in those days when I first met the Amazons."

Grabbing a blanket Gabrielle walked towards the figure sitting by the fire.  Gently she sat down beside her and wrapped the blanket over both their shoulders. "If I am ever to hear what is on her mind I will have to be patient," thought Gabrielle.  It actually took less time than Gabrielle expected before Ariel looked up from the fire at Gabrielle, weakly gave her a smile, and returned to looking at the glowing embers.  In Ariel’s eyes Gabrielle could see the deep pain the woman was in along with traces of tears.  Somehow tears seemed as out of place with this woman as they always did with Xena.  "I guess one does not expect a warrior to cry," thought Gabrielle.

"Ariel," asked Gabrielle in her softest voice "what do you see in the embers?" 

Ariel replied "I see the last battle of Gaia and Deirdre against Ceptus."

"Please tell me the story."

"Gabrielle, it is late and it is a long story."

"Please?" Gabrielle asked again still using her softest voice.

Hesitantly Ariel agreed to tell the tale as she looked again at the embers.

I see two women as inseparable as the waters are blue.  Together they traveled and fought evil wherever they found it.  Oh, it hadn’t always been so.  One of the women, Gaia, had been a fierce and evil warrior.  The other, Deirdre, had been a healer in a village near Athens.  How they met and how Gaia turned from evil ways to a path of goodness is a long one, but suffice it to say that Deirdre played a huge part in the reformation of Gaia. 

I see Gaia and Deirdre traveling together towards a village, a village suffering greatly under the harsh rule of the lord of the area, Ceptus.  He was a hard taskmaster, ever so much different from his father before him.  Ceptus had demanded taxes from the village, so much that they could barely feed themselves.  This had been going on for several years and there were no food reserves left.  As the women traveled, they saw signs all around them of the drought that had gripped the land for months.  The dry parched land and the withered crops in fields too far away from the river to be irrigated were testament to the severity of the drought.  They stayed that night in the village inn, hearing all the fears of the villagers.  They had nothing to spare.  Even so the villagers expected Ceptus to come the next day and collect the unfair taxes, by force if needed.  The villagers couldn’t defend themselves, yet they would starve during the winter if they gave Ceptus what they knew he was going to demand from them.

When morning came, so did Ceptus.  He came expecting resistance to paying the taxes so had brought troops to the edge of the nearby forest.  Once he made his demands known to the town council, Ceptus said he would return with his troops when the sun reached it’s zenith and then would expect payment in full to be waiting.  And, he threatened to take the young women for slaves to make up any shortfall.  Gaia and Deirdre watched the whole exchange from the window in their room at the inn.  With a quick glance at each other they knew they had to help.  So as soon as Ceptus was out the of the village gates with his men, Gaia and Deirdre went down to meet with the villagers.  Together they put together a hastily planned defense with Gaia on the front lines.

The battle started quickly enough once Ceptus returned, and with the element of surprise the first wave of Ceptus’s troops were repelled.  Gaia fought like a banshee with Deirdre not far behind.  The villagers put up a stout defense.  The second wave of Ceptus’s offence was much more organized and inflicted more damage, but still they were unable to break through the wall of defense.  Then the unexpected came; Ceptus himself led the third wave, holding not his sword, but two oddly designed daggers.  As Gaia reached up to haul Ceptus off his horse he struck the two daggers together and what looked like a blue light emanated from the tip of the daggers.  Sharper than any sword the light cut right through Gaia’s armour.  As Gaia did a back flip over Ceptus, the light caught her along her left leg leaving a very long deep wound.  Gaia managed to land behind Ceptus on his horse and wrestled one of the daggers from his grasp, before throwing him down to the ground.  I can still hear the thud of Ceptus hitting the ground, and the sight of all the blood pouring down Gaia’s leg.  Ceptus rolled away from Gaia’s blow and sounded the retreat.  Deirdre, seeing Ceptus and his men retreat and the state Gaia was in, whistled for their horse.  She loaded Gaia on the horse and together they rode out of the village in the opposite direction from the way Ceptus had retreated. 

Deirdre stopped after they reached the edge of the river.  There she helped Gaia off her horse and started to inspect the damage to Gaia’s leg.  In all her years as a healer Deirdre had never seen anything like it before.  The cut had been made by something sharper than she could imagine.  The cut was very narrow, but oh so deep.  Gaia was in significant pain, so Deirdre gave her some powder and then started to wrap the wound.  She wanted to stitch it up, but it was concerned that infection would set in if it could not drain naturally.  It was better to clean it with herbs, wrap it tightly and persuade Gaia to not move much.  Gaia stoically said nothing as Deirdre cleaned and wrapped, but it was easier said than done in the case of persuading Gaia not to move.  No sooner had the pain eased a bit than Gaia wanted to go back to the village.  She was sure that Ceptus would attack again as soon as he regrouped, especially if he realized Gaia had withdrawn. 

The second battle of the day started with a heated argument between Gaia and Deirdre.  Deirdre was arguing that they could best serve the village by giving Gaia time to heal so that she could fight at full strength.  Gaia refused to even consider Deirdre’s logic.  By the time she healed, Ceptus would have probably wiped the village off the face of the map.  Deirdre countered that Ceptus would not be so stupid.  If he razed the village then he would never again be able to get taxes from them.  Gaia, based on her own warlord experience, knew that Ceptus would be angry beyond caring because the village defended itself.  No, she had to go back. 

Gaia won the argument.  Before they headed back they hid the dagger Gaia had captured from Ceptus in a cave so he could not recover it.  On it’s own the dagger did not seem to possess the power that Ceptus had demonstrated when he had both of them together.  Then they rode back to the village.  Deirdre really, really thought they were doing the wrong thing.  Gaia had lost so much blood that her face was drained of color, except for the blue tinge around her lips.  How she was able to keep standing let alone fight was beyond Deirdre. She would have to stay very close to cover Gaia’s back.  Normally Deirdre tried not to be in the thick of the fighting because she almost always ended up requiring saving by Gaia as her fighting skills were not that of a warrior.

Once they got to the town and dismounted, they could see that Ceptus had not yet returned, so they set about helping to prepare for the attack they knew was coming.  After a couple of hours they heard the pounding of hooves as Ceptus approached.  Gaia gave Deirdre a quick hug and told her that she was so thankful she was there.  Then the battle started afresh.  For a while everything seemed to be going in Gaia’s and the villager’s favor.  Then Ceptus changed tack and backed up through the village gates, just far enough that the villagers could not get out in large numbers.  Then he divided his forces in three.  One third to deal with the villagers who were trying to make it outside the gates, one third concentrating directly on Gaia, and one third focusing on Deirdre.  He knew that she was Gaia’s weak spot. 

Now outside the village gates and dealing with the renewed attack, Gaia was just barely holding her own.  She knew that Deirdre was right and that she was in no shape to fight, but Gaia had assumed that the fight would have been over by now.  Glancing over at Deirdre she saw that she was totally surrounded and in trouble.  Gaia tried to fight her way to Deirdre’s side but Ceptus called out to his men to block her path.  One by one she fought her way through the men, but oh so slowly.  Too slowly for Deirdre.  Just as Gaia cleared the last man between her and Deirdre, she saw a sword plunging into Deirdre’s chest.  No!  One look said that Deirdre was dead, and Gaia went wild with grief.  One, two, three men fell in seconds as Gaia fought with fury around the body of Deirdre.  Then grasping a spear out of the air that was hurtling towards her, she flipped it and with a vicious heave sent it through the air and straight into Ceptus.  As he collapsed out of his saddle, his men bruised and broken decided not to continue the battle and retreated.

Gaia fell on her knees at Deirdre’s side and held her.  Other than an incredibly brief moment when Gaia was sure she felt Deirdre squeeze her hand, there was no sign of life.  Deirdre was dead.  Dead without a chance for Gaia to say goodbye to her.  Dead without a chance for Gaia to tell her how much she loved her.  Dead without a chance for Gaia to say how sorry she was that she did not listen to Deirdre a few hours ago.  Gaia was devastated.  After she checked Ceptus for the other dagger (which was not on him), she gathered up Deirdre’s body and returned to the cave where they had hidden the dagger she had captured earlier.  Outside the cave she built a pyre, placed Deirdre on it, and started to sing the funeral dirge.  As the flames flickered upwards, Gaia stood watching with tears streaming down her face.  Later she collected Deirdre’s ashes and buried them in the cave.  Before Gaia left the cave she stripped off her amour and weapons and hung them up, swearing that she would never lift a sword again.  Because of her determination to fight at all costs, Deirdre was dead.  If only she had listened...if only she had listened...

The woman sitting beside Gabrielle had struggled to maintain her composure as she told the story.  Either she was an incredible bard, or this woman was indeed Gaia.  Gabrielle could feel the pain emanating from Ariel as she told of the death of Deirdre.  Obviously the bond between them had been very strong.  "I wonder" thought Gabrielle "if their relationship had been even half as strong as the one I shared...share...with Xena."

"My gods" thought Xena, "what if the next time we don’t find a way to cheat death?  What would I do if I ever had to light the pyre and sing the funeral dirge for Gabrielle?"

"G...Ariel, was Gaia ever seen again, and what happened to the villagers?" asked Gabrielle.

Before she answered Ariel reached over and kicked Xena in the backside and said "Hey Warrior, if you are worth your salt as a warrior you’ve have been awake and listening to the whole story.  Why not roll over and join us?  No doubt you also have questions for me."

Xena made every effort to do a sleepy, just woken up by a kick in the backside, annoyed looking warrior impression as she rolled over towards Ariel and Gabrielle.  "Well, I am awake now," said the yawning Xena.

"Gabrielle, what happened next was that Celica, Ceptus’s mother, the wife of the good lord Ranold, took control of the lands.  She was well liked and still had influence among the people.  She was able to bring stability to the land by declaring not only the cancellation of taxes for the year, but by giving some of the wealth collected by Ceptus back to the people.  She also reduced the army Ceptus had built up and formed an elite group used only to defend the boarders.  As Philip, Ceptus’s son was still underage she set up a council to advise her and provide guidance to the boy as he grew.  She did all she could to ensure that Philip followed in his grandfather’s steps instead of his father’s"

"Ariel" asked Xena "was Celica successful?"

"If you are asking if Philip turned out like his grandfather, my understanding is that didn’t happen.  Last I heard was that he had come of age, ensured that Celica had "retired" to the village just outside these woods, and swore vengeance on his father’s death.  My guess he has also been increasing the troops" replied Ariel.

Xena stretched in her bedroll.  "That’s likely.  Certainly the troops that attacked us were not what I would call ‘elite’."

"You were attacked?" 

"Yeah, seems Philip’s men mistook me briefly for Gaia.  After he realized his error he granted us safe passage but asked us to be on the lookout for this fierce warrior.  What became of her anyway?"

"I know of no record of her ever wielding a sword again," responded Ariel.

Xena took a good hard, long look at Ariel.  To give Ariel her due she looked straight back at Xena and allowed Xena as long as she wanted to try and read what was to be seen in her blue eyes.  Sadness was there, but Xena saw neither deception nor anything to give away that Ariel was Gaia.  Again Xena was left not knowing what to think.  She was sure Ariel was Gaia and she knew that she believed much of the story she had just heard, and also that she didn’t trust Philip as far as she could toss him.  Yet...why did Ariel not just reveal herself as Gaia?   Xena had to find someone to verify Ariel’s story.  Oh how Xena wished somebody would attack her so she could use her pinch on him or her and find out what on earth was going on.  This not knowing was a real pain.

"Ok, come on you two it’s time we got some sleep.  The mystery of Gaia will have to wait until tomorrow."

Gabrielle thought it odd that Xena gave up asking questions so quickly, but she knew Xena must have a plan.  To support Xena, Gabrielle let out a large yawn and said "yeah, I guess you’re right."  Then Gabrielle put her arm around Ariel and asked if she was ok to get some sleep.  As she did so, she felt a shudder go through the other woman’s body.  "Hmmm" thought Gabrielle "I seem to have two warriors on my hands who are inflicted with a case of the shudders."

"Thanks for asking Gabrielle, I think I’ll be able to sleep now.  When I first saw you two, you reminded me so much of Gaia and Deirdre that I just could not get the story out of my mind.  I think telling it has helped.  Thanks."  With that Ariel gave Gabrielle a hug and got up.  As she lay down on her bedroll she gave brief nod to Xena.

Gabrielle got up, moved beside Xena and lay down on her bedroll.  Xena stayed on her side facing the fire for a few minutes to watch Ariel.  Once she was sure the woman was settled and ready to sleep, Xena rolled over to face Gabrielle.  She expected the bard to be either asleep or close to it, and was surprised to discover Gabrielle lying on her back with her eyes wide open, staring at the stars.  Xena wondered what she was thinking about and reached out to give her hand a small squeeze.  A look and smile from Gabrielle rewarded her.  Although puzzled by the Ariel/Gaia/Philip conundrum Xena closed her eyes happy knowing Gabrielle was close by.

Gabrielle was glad to feel the warrior’s touch.  As she smiled at Xena she thought to herself that it was starting to feel like old times.   Looking back up in the sky, Gabrielle thought about the story she had just heard from Ariel.  It seemed to Gabrielle that she and Xena were very similar to Gaia and Deirdre.  Long ago she made Xena promise that she would not take cold-blooded vengeance should Gabrielle ever be killed, but Gabrielle did not know what Xena would do if the warrior ever had to sing a funeral dirge for her.  Would she do what Gaia did?  Would she do something else?  Gabrielle did not like to contemplate the possibilities so she instead closed her eyes and thought about the pressure she had felt on her hand from Xena’s squeeze.  With that thought in mind she drifted off to sleep.

It is hard to know who went to sleep last, Xena or Ariel.  It is certain however that Ariel was the one tortured by nightmares.  Again and again the image of Deirdre being stabbed through the heart plagued her dreams.  Oh, the helplessness and the guilt.  If only she had listened to Deirdre and waited until she was strong enough to fight.  If only...

The terrors of her dreams showed on Ariel’s face in the morning.  "Are you ok?" asked Gabrielle. 

"Yeah, thanks" was the quiet response that neither Gabrielle nor Xena believed for a minute.

"Gabrielle"

"Yes, Xena?"

"Let’s go and look after Argo and that horse of yours."

"Sure Xena.  Ariel, we won’t be long." And with that Xena and Gabrielle turned away from the campsite and walked towards the horses.

When they were out of earshot Gabrielle turned to Xena and asked "Well, what do you want to do?"