ForevaXena's FanFic . . .
The Eyes Of Eire
(a.k.a Amazons, Druids & Thieves, Oh My)
by Linda Crist
a.k.a. Texbard
DISCLAIMERS:
Most
of these characters belong to Studios USA and any other owners of Xena: Warrior Princess and
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
This story was not written for profit and no copyright infringements are
intended. The story
itself is mine. Please
don't reproduce it, in whole or in part, without asking first.
A
few ideas came from Lois and Clark: The
New Adventures of Superman, "When Irish Eyes Are Killing," episode
written by Grant Rosenberg. No
copyright infringements intended toward DC Comics, Warner Brothers, or December
Third Productions. NO,
this is NOT a Xena/Superman cross-over.
This is classic alt Xena/Gabrielle
Kallerine
is back. Once again,
this is not a Buffy/Xena crossover.
Kallerine is an Amazon bacchae slayer who just happens to look like Sarah
Michelle Gellar.
Violence:
Take one warrior princess, blend thoroughly with a bardic Amazon queen, toss
in the king of thieves, add one feisty red-headed druid, sprinkle in a few
greedy villains, mix liberally with a handful of Amazons, and yeah, some swords
are likely to cross.
Maintext:
Rated R. Two women in
love who sleep together as often as possible.
Questions/Comments/Suggestions
welcome: texbard@earthlink.net
Website:
http://home.earthlink.net/~texbard
Updates
Only List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/texbardupdates
Updates/Chat
List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/texbad
Setting:
This story falls sequentially after "Divinity."
For those new to the Xena/Gabrielle series, it is in order, "March
the 16th," "A Solstice
Treaty," "The Sixth
Sense," Cleopatra 4
A.D.," and "Divinity."
To read them, go to my website:
http://home.earthlink.net/~texbard
and scroll to the bottom to find links to MaryD's and ForevaXena.
Additional
Background Info: A
refresher note regarding framework within the show --
my Xena/Gabrielle series parts ways with the show after the 4th
season. What that
means is no pregnant warrior, no Eve, no 25-year ice cave time warp, no twilight
of the gods, no new chakram, no angel Callisto, no Akhemi, and no battlin' bard
(although Gab does fight in this series both with staff and with sais, she just
isn't the killing machine she became in the 5th season).
Cyrene, Toris, Amarice, Eponin, Gab's family, Eli, Hercules, Iolaus, all
the Greek gods, and especially Xena, are very much alive.
Octavian is still a very young Roman leader.
Joxer is dead because he died in my first story.
Callisto is in Hell for breaking her deal with the devil to not
physically harm Xena during "The Ides of March."
Also in this timeline, they last saw Alti during "Between the
Lines," when Xena chakkied Gab's hair off.
I have made Xena's history in the Norse lands a part of her history in
the series, but only up to the part where she locked up Grindle, so in this
Xenaverse, Grindle is still locked up with the ring.
My Xena never has, and never will, set foot on the island of Japan.
Chapter
1
(posted August 21, 2001)
The
lamp is burnin' low upon my table top
The snow is softly fallin'
The air is still within the silence of my room
I hear your voice softly callin'
If
I could only have you near
To breathe a sigh or two
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
Upon
this winter night with you.
-
Gordon Lightfoot, "Song for a Winter's Night," The Way I Feel,
© 1967, United Artists
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The remaining sun filtering through the window was pale gray in the early evening twilight, and the fire burned low in the fireplace, its coals shimmering as they produced a glowing warmth. Despite the welcome heat, the fair-haired woman shivered and got up from the table. She crossed the room, retrieving a couple of rough-hewn logs from a sturdy basket and tossing them on the red-hot bed. She used a forged iron poker to stir the coals back to life, watching as the first small flames licked hungrily at the winter-dry wood.
A tiny smile graced her lips, and she ran her fingertips lightly along the bumpy metal surface of the poker, noting the careful craftsmanship. Once they knew they were settled in the Amazon village for an indefinite period of time, her partner insisted on building several pieces of sturdy furniture, as well as making other implements that helped create a home of their hut.
The tall dark warrior had spent many candle-marks hovered over an outdoor smelter, hammering out the poker and the other fireplace tools that rested in a matching stand. It seemed to be a skill she was quite proficient at, but when questioned as to where she learned the craft, she became silent, withdrawing inside herself. At that point, Gabrielle carefully backed off, noting the faraway look in her lover's suddenly sad eyes, storing away her questions for another time.
Xena had spent many more candle marks chopping the huge pile of wood that was stacked just outside the back door. With her ever-present attention to detail, she had carefully covered the entire mass of logs with oiled canvas tarps, sheltering them from the late fall rains and the winter snow. There was enough wood in the stack to last them until early spring. The Amazon elders predicted a hard winter, and the warrior was not one to take chances when it came to keeping her partner warm.
Gabrielle stood up and peered absently out the window. She pressed her hand against the glass, feeling the biting cold just on the other side, along with faint tremors from a strong north wind that rattled the cozy hut. Snow was drifted in piles in the back courtyard, and tiny white granules sifted across the ground, propelled by small whirlwinds caught within the confining walls. Xena, where are you?
The
warrior had been gone since shortly after noon.
Two frantic Amazons came barreling into the communal dining hall,
announcing that their children had wandered off while playing.
The two young girls had gone outside to play immediately after breakfast.
Their mothers had no idea how long they had been missing, as they hadn't
checked on them until it was time to call them inside to go to lunch.
Xena
stood off to the side and listened in stoic silence as the two women spoke
rapidly, gesturing about nervously as they told their tale.
A few Amazons began to organize a search party, when the warrior stepped
in and offered to go find them herself, alone.
The warrior was the best tracker in the village, and taught classes in
the art to the younger Amazons. There
was no reason to believe she wouldn't easily find them and bring them safely
back to the village in a short period of time.
In
the last light before sunset, Gabrielle noted thick rolling clouds overhead,
which threatened to dump yet more snow on the already-blanketed village.
She frowned, trying to remember what Xena had taken with her. Not much, she reflected.
The outing should have been almost a lark, and the warrior merely
strapped her sword to her back and threw on her long wool cloak.
She carried only a water flask in the way of provisions, along with her
healer's kit, just in case. She
left Argo behind, since tracking was a task best accomplished on foot.
The
cloak was new, thick and warm, a gift that Cyrene sent up to them shortly after
they returned from Lesbos. It was
knitted from black wool that came from a lamb the warrior helped deliver when
they were in Amphipolis shortly after the crucifixion.
The lamb had grown into a sheep, and carried the blood of a black ewe
that Xena spoke fondly of from her childhood.
As a young girl, her mother made her a black cape she had been immensely
proud of. Gabrielle smiled,
remembering the child-like joy that radiated from Xena's face when she opened
the package that contained the brand new cloak.
She was certain the warrior would have slept in it that first night if
Gabrielle hadn't been there to tease her.
Underneath
the black cloak had been a similar, smaller hooded cloak for the bard, dyed a
rich forest green to compliment her eyes and fair skin.
She wandered over to the wooden set of hooks on the wall and grabbed a
handful of the nubby thick material, assuring herself that wherever Xena was, at
least she was warm. The snow clouds
were worrisome.
True
to prediction, it was shaping up to be a very hard winter, and much of their
part of Greece had been pelted with blizzard after blinding blizzard.
Even the children were tired of the cold white stuff, and the abundance
of snowmen and snow forts that characterized the early part of winter had
tapered off. They were all
weary, waiting for the spring equinox, which was two moons away.
She
sighed and sat back down at the table, where a fresh piece of parchment and a
pot of ink sat, along with the metal quill Xena had given her as a solstice
gift. She nibbled on the end of the
quill and then dipped the sharp tip into the ink well.
Soon she was lost in her work, her even precise strokes filling up the
page as she worked on a trade agreement with Egypt, one that she hoped to
implement once carrier pigeons were able to travel again.
Sending a runner would have been daunting in the harsh winter conditions,
and the agreement certainly wasn't of an urgent nature.
A
sharp rapping at the door brought the bard out of her thoughts, and she looked
up, her heart sinking as she realized it was completely dark outside.
"Come," she called out across the room.
The
door creaked open and Eponin poked her head inside.
The Amazon weapons master paused, noting the lost look on her queen's
face. "Hi." She
stepped inside and pulled a heavy brown hood from her head.
"I . . . just finished my evening rounds, Gabrielle."
She looked down at the floor.
"No
sign of her, huh?" The bard
stood up and moved to the window again.
"No."
Eponin bit her lower lip. "Shall
I go get Kallerine?"
Gabrielle
smiled for a moment. It was an unwritten rule that whenever Xena was away
overnight, Kallerine, the bard's personal assistant, was to stand guard over
her. The young Amazon took her
duties very seriously, and was in fact one of the most skilled fighters in the
village, despite her tender age. She
still officially lived in the older girls' dormitory, although it was no secret
that most of her nights were actually spent in Amarice's hut.
The two young women tentatively began a romance not too long after
Gabrielle and Xena moved to the village. It
was the first relationship either had been in, and the bard found them to be
quite cute at times.
"Yeah,
go ahead and call her over." The
bard pulled a well-used bedroll from the corner, spreading it out in front of
the fireplace for the young Amazon. She
and Xena hadn't used it since their return trip from Lesbos.
"Tell her no arguments about staying outside tonight.
It's too cold. She can come
in here, and as far as I’m concerned she can sleep. There's no need for her to stay awake all night.
I seriously doubt anyone is going to come after me, what with the storm
on the way."
"It's
already started." The weapons
master dusted a few melting flakes from her shoulders.
She saw her queen's face fall and moved closer, laying one hesitant hand
on the bard's shoulder. "Look,
Gabrielle. I'm sure she's holed up
somewhere to wait out the storm. She's
smart. She can read the weather
signs. The way these blizzards have
been, it wouldn't be wise for her to try to make it back. She wouldn't be able to see two paces in front of her face.
Throw in a couple of kids, and she'd really have a hard time.
I'll bet she'll be back just as soon as this one blows over."
"You're
probably right." Gabrielle
patted her hand. "How are
their mothers holding up?"
"As
good as can be expected. Cheridah
gave each of them a mild sedative tea, to help them sleep."
She studied the worried green eyes.
Maybe she should give you a dose as well, she thought silently.
"Thanks,
Pony. You'll let me know if you
hear anything at all?"
"But
of course, my queen." The
weapons master winked at her, even as she used the more formal title.
Eponin was Xena's best friend in the Amazon village, other than
Gabrielle, of course. Formalities
between her and her queen were reserved for public ceremonies and council
meetings. The bard had formed a
friendship with Eponin's partner, Raella, and the four of them ate dinner
together in the dining hall on a regular basis.
Less frequently, they shared private dinners in the queen's hut.
Gabrielle
followed Eponin to the door, watching her walk across the courtyard toward
Amarice's hut. Icy wind stung the
bard's cheeks and nipped against her legs through the warm ribbed leggings she
wore. She quickly closed the door,
giving the handle a solid shake to make sure it held fast.
I'm done with work for tonight, I think.
She gathered up her writing tools and blew on the parchment to make sure
the ink was dry, before rolling it up and securing it with a piece of leather
twine.
She
made her way back through her bedroom and into the bathing room, splashing her
face at the washbasin before she pulled on a soft warm sleep shirt.
She gathered the hem up and pressed it against her nose, inhaling Xena's
familiar wild earthy scent. She
wore the shirt the night before, and the warrior slept curled tightly around
her. They had a fireplace in the
bedroom, and several layers of nice thick blankets, but they used any excuse, or
no excuse at all, to snuggle up together as often as possible.
Lesbos
brought them so much closer together. They
were close before, but they had reached a new level of intimacy on Lesbos, and
an easy familiarity permeated their relationship.
They had been lovers for almost a year, best friends for much longer.
They were long acquainted with one another's quirky habits, tastes in
food, and general likes and dislikes. Becoming
lovers had only enhanced an already-deep friendship.
But along with the joy and pleasure that their love brought, they also
had their share of awkward moments, and times when they handled each other with
kid gloves.
That
changed on Lesbos. Gabrielle was
completely comfortable with the sexual aspect of their relationship, and felt
free to experiment. Conversely,
Xena no longer felt like she had to hold back with her partner, and was much
better able to express her needs and desires without fear of frightening the
bard.
Lesbos
had enhanced more than their physical interaction.
Both women felt much more secure in general.
They were slowly moving past the awkward newness of their relationship,
and were entering a more interesting phase, in which they simply focused on
building their life together. Funny,
Gabrielle reflected. Like of
course we were spending our life together before.
During
their life on the road, and after Perdicus was killed, there were few times when
the bard had considered a life apart from Xena.
But life on the road was lived on a day-to-day basis.
They didn't often talk about the future, or where they might be in one
summer, or five, or ten. Just
living to see another sunrise was often accomplishment enough on many days.
Their
coming joining ceremony had forced them to look toward the future.
They discussed issues that would have been unthinkable only one year
before, including their future with the Amazons.
For now, they were firmly planted in the queen's hut, and Xena was happy
to take a few steps back and let her capable partner be the ruler the Amazons
needed her to be. They had an
understanding that anytime Xena was needed elsewhere, they would go. That agreement resulted in their trip to Egypt to save Rome
and Greece from Marc Antony. Mission
accomplished, they had settled back in the village awaiting the next crisis.
So far, they had only been needed by the Amazons themselves, and had
weathered the early part of winter in relative peace.
Another
knock at the door drew the bard back to the main room, and she opened it to find
a shivering Kallerine standing on the landing.
"Get in here, you goof." Gabrielle
smiled and pulled the girl inside. "You
don't need to knock, Kallerine, just come on in and yell at me so I'll know it's
you."
"Th
- th - thanks." The slayer's teeth chattered, and she quickly sat down on the
hearth, holding her hands out to the welcome heat. "It's nasty out there."
Gabrielle
said nothing, as she moved to place two more logs on the fire.
Her face was drawn up almost painfully, and the slayer immediately
regretted her words. "Queen
Gabrielle, it's not so terrible, really."
"You
don't need to sugar-coat things for me, Kallerine, and you certainly don't need
to be formal." The bard
managed a smile. "Would you
like some hot tea? I thought I
might have a cup of kava tea before bed.
It might help me sleep better."
"Yes,
I'd like some, thank you." Kallerine
eyed the thick sleeping furs on the floor.
It's
tough to sleep alone when you're used to having a warm body to snuggle up to.
Gabrielle's green eyes twinkled, reading the younger woman's thoughts.
She suspected the loyal Amazon would much rather be with Amarice, and she
didn't blame her.
They
shared a cup of tea in companionable silence, Gabrielle lost in thoughts of her
partner and the two little girls. The
wind howled outside, as the blizzard kicked in with full force.
The eerie shrieks chilled the bard to the bone.
She wondered what it was like to be sleeping outside in the raging fury,
and fervently hoped Xena and the children had found shelter somewhere.
You come back to me in one piece, Xena, do you hear me?
Alive and in one piece, she quickly amended.
Kallerine
sipped at the steaming mug and surreptitiously studied her queen.
Gabrielle's gentle green eyes belied the strong woman underneath the
surface. True, the queen had
muscles to spare, but she rarely used brute force to make a point, preferring to
talk her way through any difficulties that arose in the village.
Blonde brows were furrowed into a deep frown, and the queen's lips were
drawn into a tight thin line. The
slayer cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "You're worried about her, aren't you?"
"Yes."
Gabrielle looked up, meeting her gaze with a friendly intensity that
characterized most of her one-on-one conversations. "Worried about the two girls as well.
Their mothers were frantic by dinner time tonight."
The
bard released a heavy breath, remembering the tense encounter.
The two Amazons, Renna and Mische, were sisters, and shared a large hut
on the edge of the village. The two
missing girls were their only children. Gabrielle
had just sat down with Chilapa and Rebina to eat, when the two women approached
her, desperate for news of Xena. It
had taken a good measure of her own unique people skills to calm them down, and
reassure them that Xena was more than capable of bringing their daughters back
to them unharmed.
Hope
you don't prove me wrong, love.
Gabrielle closed her eyes for a moment, and idly pulled their tabby cat
into her lap, stroking the soft fur. When
they returned from Egypt, Xena aptly named the small but active feline
'Trouble,' as the cat seemed to have a knack for finding all manner of
predicaments to get into. "I
could just as easily have named her 'Gabrielle'," the warrior had teased
her.
The
bard smiled for a moment and then grew somber, thinking about the two worried
Amazon mothers, empathizing with them from deep inside herself, a dark place she
rarely visited anymore. "I hope they're all okay." The green eyes blinked several times. "Losing a child is one of the hardest things a person
can ever go through. Even not
knowing where your child is can be pure anguish."
If
only.
She remembered placing Hope in that basket, and setting her adrift on a
river, watching as the churning water swiftly carried the seemingly helpless
infant far away from her achingly empty arms.
Daily lies were her cover-up, nightly torment her constant companion.
Xena became almost silent in the days that followed.
They routinely set-up camp each evening, weary as much from internal
conflict as from the hard physical aspect of life on the road.
They shared wordless meals, each lost in private thoughts that were too
painful to share. Gabrielle lost
weight, her body giving away the stress and guilt she harbored in her soul.
By
the time they reached the Amazons, she was a walking mess.
She was sick with worry over Hope, thinking surely her child was dead,
and that it was her fault. She and
Xena were still healing from the deep wounds that resulted from the warrior's
abandonment of her in a shipyard, and Gabrielle's resulting betrayal in Chin.
Neither knew that the other kept yet one more great horrible secret.
The
things that took place in the weeks that followed made everything else pale in
comparison. She had never felt as
cold before in her life, standing in the light of twin funeral pyres.
They had shared so much, but never in her worst nightmares had she ever
envisioned that they would share the simultaneous loss of their children.
She watched all her hopes and dreams go up with those flames, along with
her desire to live. When Xena
appeared in the village days later, the horrible atrocities the warrior
committed against her barely touched the surface of the pain she already felt.
It
was shocking for the Amazons to watch. Gabrielle
herself barely remembered it. Xena's
confession in Egypt that she was drugged at the time at least explained the
severity of the warrior's actions. A
part of the bard knew that Xena, in her right and sober mind, would never have
dragged her cross-country behind a horse. Even
in her shock and grief, as the warrior held her dead son in her arms, she hadn't
so much as raised a hand against Gabrielle.
Her silence and verbal dismissal were more effective than any slap or
punch ever could have been.
No
one made Gabrielle poison Hope, at least not technically.
There were so many reasons she took it upon herself.
She finally understood what Xena had seen all along, that Hope was evil.
It was incredibly difficult to admit that a child you gave birth to was
evil, but seeing what Hope had done to Solan opened her eyes in the most painful
way possible. Part of her knew that
if she didn't eliminate Hope, Xena would. So
she did it. She did it to somehow begin to atone for what she saw as her
own sins. And she also did it, she
realized, to spare Xena the task.
They
parted ways, each to deal with their grief and loss alone, in their own manner.
Gabrielle took refuge in a silent extended self-imposed stay in an Amazon
purification hut. Xena set off on a
self-destructive path that took her to the top of a mountain where she wailed
her heart out, followed by an extended stay in a flophouse where she smoked
ground-up colitas to dull the ache. Finally,
she returned to the village. Xena
told her later that she didn't even remember traveling to the village, how she
got there, or what she intended to do when she arrived.
Well,
Gabrielle remembered sadly. At
least she didn't plan to kill me in advance.
Somehow, a crime of passion was more acceptable than cold calculated
murder.
The
bard reflected that if not for the miracle of Illusia, she would have died, one
way or the other. The method was almost inconsequential, whether it be a brutal
painful death at Xena's hands, or a slow wasting away in the Amazon village, a
victim of her own unstoppable grief. She
was just as certain that Xena would be dead by now as well, if not for the
intervention of powers greater than themselves.
Time
and miracles. And love.
Those were the things that carried them through the storm and back to a
place that was more solid than she had ever dreamed possible.
She didn't dwell on it very often, and neither did Xena. So much had happened since, that it seemed like two different
people, in another lifetime. True,
she knew they would revisit that place from time to time, most likely for the
rest of their lives. But that
didn't happen very often anymore, and usually only when some specific incident
triggered it, like two missing Amazon children.
"Queen
Gabrielle?" Kallerine's tentative voice drew her back to the fireside.
"Are you okay?" Dark
clouds filled the green eyes, and a sad beauty came over the bard's fair
features.
"Yeah."
Gabrielle slowly shook her head, clearing her morose thoughts.
"Sorry. Just thinking."
Hazel
eyes met her in silent understanding. Kallerine
and Gabrielle had never discussed Hope or Solan, or any of the things that
happened right there in their village. Kallerine
was not a part of the Amazons when Hope killed Solan, but almost everyone in the
village had heard the stories, although no one ever spoke of them in the queen's
or Xena's presence. Many marveled
that Xena and Gabrielle were together at all, much less that after all they had
been through, they could be so deeply in love with each other.
"You
look tired. Perhaps you should try
to get some sleep." The slayer
stood, taking Gabrielle's empty cup and placing it next to hers on the table.
"I
am tired." The bard slid from
her seat on the hearth, and stretched. "Goodnight,
Kallerine."
"Goodnight,
Gabrielle." Kallerine watched
thoughtfully, as the queen made her way to the bedroom, her shoulders slumped in
a defeated posture.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Damn.
The warrior walked in a wide circle, trying to find the two pairs of
small footprints she had been following for over two candle marks.
How could two little girls get so far so fast? she groused,
negligently flicking her wind-tossed cloak into place on her shoulders.
It
had been slow going. Finding the
pair of tracks was easy enough. Sticking with them proved to be much more difficult.
The constantly blowing north wind occasionally erased the prints in the
snow. Each time this happened, she
had to begin making a slow methodical circle, expanding further and further out
in all directions until she picked up the trail again.
The
girls, blessedly enough, seemed to be sticking to an actual footpath through the
woods. They did periodically stray
off to one side or the other to investigate various items and animals.
Their side trips actually made the warrior smile more than once. Among the objects of their curiosity were a large bush
covered with beautiful wintergreen berries, a small nest of sleeping rabbits
that were tucked into a niche in a rocky wall, and a tall tree they apparently
tried to climb, two sizeable indentions in the snow evidence of a failed
attempt. Along the way were
snow-angels, as well as evidence of a few snowball fights.
She
stopped, placing her hands on her hips and closing her eyes.
Her nostrils flared, sniffing the air.
The air was almost void of scent, save the sweet smell of some of the
evergreens that were mixed in with the winter-bare deciduous trees.
She cocked her head, listening for anything at all.
Ahhh.
She was drawing near to the crystal cave where she had proposed to
Gabrielle, and the faint sound of the waterfall reached her ears.
Even the freezing temperatures didn't stop the powerful flow of water as
it plunged from atop a high cliff. Wonder
if they might have gone to look at the ice formations?
She
and Gabrielle had trekked to the pond once since they returned from Lesbos.
The pond was beautiful in winter. The
smooth surface was frozen, but the water underneath still flowed, eventually
exiting into a slow-moving creek. However,
the ice and cold made for sluggish outflow, and the waterfall filled the pond
faster than it could empty itself. This
resulted in some fantastic and unusual ice formations that built up in slopes
and twists near the waterfall, especially as the mist from the falls met the
cold air radiating off the pond's surface.
She
and Gabrielle had observed the winter wonderland until they were too cold to
stay any longer. The bard wrote
several poems about it when they returned to their hut that evening.
If the mysterious beauty appealed to two adults, she could only imagine
what magic it must hold for two little girls.
I'll bet that's where they are.
She
left the trail and began picking her way through knee-deep drifts, pushing aside
low heavy branches that scraped at her face and neck.
Her body itself was completely covered in her winter leathers, a pair of
smooth black leather trousers with a matching black leather sleeveless vest.
The vest was covered in a light armor of small brass discs that were sewn
directly onto the leather. Under
the vest she wore a white woolen long-sleeved shirt. Knee-high boots and her usual knee armor completed her
clothing. Black leather gloves
covered her hands, and over all she wore the warm thick cloak her mother had
knitted. Her head was bare, unless
she chose to draw up the hood on the cloak, which she rarely did.
As
she drew closer to the pond, she heard the sounds of childish laughter, and
smiled. Bingo.
She cleared the trees that surrounded the edge of the pond, and her smile
quickly disappeared. The two girls were "skating" along the ice on
their suede-booted feet, dangerously close to the falls and the thinner ice that
formed a deceptive cover for the far end of the pond.
It was obvious they were trying to get as close to the frozen mist
sculptures as they could.
"Hey!"
She yelled sharply, and broke into a run, reaching the edge of the ice on
the far side from the girls. "Get
away from the falls. Drop to your
knees and crawl back to me as slowly as you can."
Her voice carried through the cold crisp air, more loudly than it would
have in summer.
One
young Amazon immediately obeyed her, her contrite countenance visible across the
distance between them. The other girl, however, became frightened, and moved closer
to the falls. Xena grimaced, as
sure enough, the girl broke through the thin barrier and plunged into the icy
water, her head disappearing below the surface as she screamed.
Damnitalltohades.
Xena quickly shed her cloak and dropped her weapons.
Without further thought, she sprinted across the pond, her footing sure
and steady even on the slippery surface. She
paused long enough to hoist the remaining Amazon from the ice, tossing her onto
the safe snowy bank several feet away. "Don't
move," the warrior growled, allowing her eyes to communicate that she
wasn't kidding.
She
tensed in anticipation, even as she leaped through the air, her body forming a
perfect arc before it sliced through the water.
It took her breath away. Her
head broke the surface and she gasped for a moment, getting her bearings.
Great gods. Nothing
could ever prepare her for cold that intense.
It cut through her like sharp knives, stilling her blood and robbing her
of thought for a split second.
With
one more breath she was gone again, plunging beneath the ice, her keen eyes
searching in all directions for the missing girl.
She looked down and spotted the small body, suspended in the murky depths
near the pond's floor. Xena dove
straight down, her strong arms pulling her quickly to her goal, as she grasped
the girl around the waist. The
warrior's feet touched bottom and she crouched down, pushing off and using her
legs to propel her swiftly to the surface.
She
looked around for the closest exit, and swam underneath the falls, hauling the
still form onto the floor of the crystal cave behind the falls.
She surged out of the water with a powerful blast, flipping up into the
cave and dropping to the ground next to the young Amazon.
The
girl's face was completely white and her lips were pale blue.
Xena's own body protested greatly at the icy blast of air that pelted her
wet clothing. She steeled herself,
ignoring her own state and concentrating on the Amazon.
She pressed two fingers against the girl's neck, and released a grateful
breath when she felt a very faint pulse. That
her frozen fingers felt anything at all was nothing short of a miracle.
The
girl wasn't breathing. Probably inhaled water.
Xena quickly began mouth-to-mouth on the Amazon, her own lips barely
functioning as she needed them to in their semi-frozen state.
"Come on." She
puffed out her cheeks and blew small breaths into the girl's lungs.
"Breathe, damn it!" Finally,
she was rewarded with a cough and a splutter, as the girl choked up a sizeable
amount of water.
Slowly,
her deep brown eyes fluttered open. "Wh
. . .?" The question died on
her lips.
"Shhhh."
Xena patted her on the cheek. "Don't
try to talk. You almost
drowned."
The
girl peered at her in total confusion. "Cold." The small body was shivering uncontrollably, her teeth
clicking loudly together.
"Hold
on." The warrior stood up.
"I need to go get my cloak to cover you up with."
She
made her way tediously across the slippery ledge that led from the cave to the
bank, pressing her back tightly against the wall.
She ran to where she left her cloak and weapons, and picked them up.
She could feel her wet eyebrows and eyelashes freezing, and she cursed
silently. "Hey."
She got the attention of the other girl, who stood up uncertainly.
"Come around the pond and meet me over by that rock wall.
Don't get back on the ice, okay?"
The
Amazon nodded affirmatively, and Xena turned, sprinting toward the ledge.
The trip back inside the cave was made more tedious with the addition of
her weapons and the heavy cloak. She
almost lost her footing once, and stopped, taking a breath.
She resumed her short journey, and dragged the girl further back into the
cave. She removed the girl's wet
clothes and wrapped her snugly in the cloak.
"I need to go get your friend.
I'll be right back."
The
girl yawned and blinked absently, before closing her eyes.
Xena shook her violently. "Don't
you dare go to sleep." She
forced eye contact. "You'll
freeze to death and not wake up, you hear me?"
The girl's face reflected some coherence, and the warrior reluctantly
left her again for yet another trip across the icy ledge.
The
other Amazon stood at the end, waiting for her.
"I’m sorry." The
girl looked down, unable to meet her gaze.
"We wanted to touch the pretty ice."
Amazons.
Xena bit off several choice responses.
She's just a little kid for gods' sake.
Couldn't be more than about eight summers old.
"'S'okay. I need to get
you inside the cave until I can get your friend ready to travel back to the
village. I can build a fire in
there. Does that sound good?"
The
girl managed a timid smile. "Yes." She took Xena's hand. "I'm
very cold."
A
chill racked the warrior's soaked body. "So
am I kid. So am I."
They
took painfully slow steps across the ledge, the young girl clinging to Xena so
hard she was afraid the girl would pull them both into the water.
The warrior finally picked her up and carried her the rest of the way
across, sighing with relief as they reached the cave floor.
She looked around and smiled for a minute. In the corner was a large pile of logs, leftover from the
night she and Gabrielle slept in the cave.
"Go gather some of those logs, kid, while I tend to your friend
here."
After
a while, a fire was blazing in the center of the cave.
Teresta, the girl that had almost drowned, was resting close to the
warmth, still wrapped in the warrior's cloak.
Anika, the other girl, hovered close by her side, keeping watch over her
cousin and making sure she stayed awake, per Xena's instructions.
Teresta's clothing was hung up in various spots in the cave to dry.
Anika was the only one who had come away from the ordeal completely dry.
Across
the fire, a shivering warrior sat, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms
wrapped around them. She had taken
off the sodden leather vest, but remained in her pants and the wool undershirt,
deciding that wet clothes were more protection against the frigid air than her
bare skin. Chill after painful
chill coursed through her body, and her jaw ached with her effort to get warm.
She barely felt the heat radiating from the crackling flames, although
her feet were so close they were practically in the bed of coals.
Well,
she mused. I've certainly seen
better times in this particular location.
She looked around the cave, her eyes growing soft at her memories.
She proposed to Gabrielle in the cave, down on her knees, her heart
trembling in anticipation. The bard's joyous tearful acceptance was still etched firmly
in her mind's eye. Afterward, they
made love, the roaring of the falls and the beauty of the crystals enhancing
their time together. Gabrielle,
I'd give almost anything right now for it to be summer and you to be here with
me.
A
rolling thunder shook the rocky foundation, and brought her back to the present.
No. Her eyes grew
wide. "I'll be right
back." She stepped onto the
ledge and crept out until she could see the sky.
Damn, damn, damn! Can
this day get any worse? Overhead
was a thick blanket of snow clouds, the first small flakes already floating
lazily to the ground. Even as she
observed it, the snow grew thicker, and she watched in disbelief as the storm
blew in with a force quicker than she could recall any other time that winter.
She
was angry with herself on several levels. I
can't believe I wasn't paying better attention to the weather.
She moved back into the cave and sat down in a huff.
Here I am . . . she eyed her surroundings.
One frozen water flask, a completely wet healer's kit, a half-drowned
kid, another half-frozen one, and absolutely no provisions.
She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, which had throbbed dully
since she first dove into the water. At
least we have enough wood to last a while.
The
two girls watched her in frightened silence.
She looked up. Gods. Now
I've gone and scared them. "Um
. . . looks like a little blizzard has blown in, so we're probably stuck here
for the night."
"Oh."
Anika chewed her lip thoughtfully. "What
will we eat for dinner?"
Xena
forced herself to remain patient. She
nodded her head toward the water. "Fish."
"Oh."
The young Amazon digested the information and looked carefully around the
cave. "What are you gonna
catch them with?"
The
warrior's whole body groaned in protest, as the obvious answer formed on her
lips. "My hands."
Anika
tilted her head to one side, taking in the warrior's long frame, studying the
strong capable hands. "I am
kind of hungry."
Xena
continued to shiver, as she stood up. "Guess
I could catch them now, huh?" She
gulped in some air and forced herself to the edge of the cave floor, where it
met the water. "Hey, if I take
off my clothes, can you hang them real close to the fire while I fish?"
"Sure."
Anika watched, as the warrior shucked her leathers and the top, tossing
them across the cave toward her.
"Back
in a bit." Xena peered at the falls for a long moment, and then dropped
into the water with resignation. Her
body once again rebelled at the icy onslaught, but this time she grew numb much
quicker. Not a good sign, she shook her head, her partially
frozen hair crackling against her scalp. Might
as well do this while I'm already wet and freezing to death.
She ducked under the water and disappeared from sight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It
wasn't, she reflected, the most miserable moment in her life.
I've had worse. Much
worse. I ran the gauntlet.
Was crucified twice. Had
both legs shattered. Been betrayed
and hunted down more times than I care to recall.
Hades, I've died twice. What's
a little ice water?
She
thought about that, as she watched the two sleeping Amazon girls on the other
side of the fire. They were
snuggled together under her cloak, oblivious to the storm that raged in full
force on the other side of the waterfall.
Their bellies were contentedly full of fish.
She'd managed to construct a spit and cooked her catch quite simply, with
no spices, plates or eating utensils. A
flat rock had served as a makeshift platter, and they ate the flaky white
morsels with their bare hands.
She
was so cold. Her clothing had
freeze-dried, but her body was chilled to her very core.
The fishing trip was a necessary evil, and she was paying dearly for it.
The fire didn't seem to help at all.
She could feel an uneasy heaviness settling into her chest, and she
prayed they would get back to the village before the full-blown consumption set
in.
The
fire crackled, and outside, the wind played a wild symphony of whistles and
moans, along with some nerve-wracking shrieks.
She moved closer to the flames, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs,
which were pulled up against her body. Occasionally,
an involuntary shiver wracked her long frame, and she cursed, hoping she didn't
have a fever. Her hands were so
cold that she couldn't judge her own skin temperature.
The
first cough tickled the back of her throat, and she tried to ignore it, without
much success. Gabrielle, she
mentally addressed her soulmate. I'm
going to get home to you, sweetheart, and I'm so glad you know how to take care
of me, 'cause I'm going to need some serious attention when I get there.
She knew she was a horrible patient.
Cheridah, the Amazon healer, threw her hands up in surrender, and had
long since given up on trying to give the warrior any advice on health matters,
choosing instead to pass along to Gabrielle anything she deemed to be important.
She
couldn't remember when her lover had become so proficient in the healing arts.
When they first traveled together, she was responsible for caring for
both of them if they needed stitching or became ill.
Gradually, Gabrielle learned, watching carefully when Xena mixed herbs
for fever, coughs, cycling cramps, headaches, or any number of other ailments.
At some point, she allowed the bard to stitch her up for the first time.
When
was it, anyway?
She frowned, trying to remember, momentarily taken away from her current
uncomfortable state, which was a good thing.
Oh, yeah. It was early in their travels, after a fight with a group of
highway marauders. There wasn't
anything unique or special about the fight, just one more among many that
characterized their life on the road.
She'd
been busy fighting off one thug, and another got inside her defenses and managed
to strike her on the back with his sword. Luckily,
she'd sensed him at the last minute, and moved away, avoiding a fatal blow.
Still, the blade sliced her cleanly across her back, just above her
leathers, in a spot she could neither see nor reach.
She
didn't even realize she'd been cut at first.
It was the warm trickle of blood between her shoulder blades that clued
her in. A queasy-looking Gabrielle
confirmed the severity of the situation, and timidly offered to sew her up.
She still didn't know what possessed her to agree.
They could have ridden into the next town and gone to a healer.
Maybe
she was just tired. Maybe she had lost just enough blood to not be thinking
clearly. Or maybe, just maybe, it
was the eagerness to please in those green eyes that had caused her to consent.
The gentle touch of the bard's hands on her skin had surprised her.
It was, she remembered, almost pleasant, with Gabrielle talking quietly
to her, trying to distract her from the tiny annoying pokes of the needle and
the sting of the cleansing herbs that she liberally applied to the wound.
It had ended with a light trailing of the bard's fingertips across her
upper back. She knew then she was
in trouble. She had enjoyed the
experience way too much.
She
remembered turning around and looking into a very anxious and very girlish face.
Gabrielle's long brown skirt was splattered with her blood, and her blue
top clung to her sweaty body. It
was her eyes, though, that drew the warrior in.
Those eyes conveyed that every fiber in the girl's body was on edge,
waiting to hear that she had done a good job.
And she had.
Xena
recalled carefully rolling her shoulders and nodding with approval.
She couldn't remember exactly what she said, probably only a few words,
"nice work," or something equally short and to the point.
That was all it took. The
smile started with a slight quivering of full lips, and slowly spread until the
green eyes sparkled, and the bridge of the bard's nose crinkled, something Xena
had always found ridiculously endearing.
We've
changed so much, haven't we love?
Gabrielle was one of the most capable women she knew, fully able to take
care of herself, the warrior, and a village full of Amazons.
Her lovely soulmate rarely stopped to ask permission anymore. If Xena was sick or hurt, the bard automatically stepped in,
administering care without question, no longer seeking approval afterward.
Damn. Do I even express
my gratitude anymore? Probably not, she chastised herself. She made a mental note to change her habits in that regard.
Another
chill brought her back to the present, and a hacking cough tore at her lungs.
She groaned and spit into the fire.
Her throat was getting sore, and her eyes felt scratchy.
The herbs in her healer's kit were useless. They had been soaked during her rescue of Teresta.
Mercifully, the girl seemed to be fine.
She
lay down on her side, curled up in a fetal position, her head resting on a rock.
Thoughts of home, and the fireplace, and their warm feather bed were both
soothing and torturous at the same time. She
realized that she had come to think of the hut as their home.
The inside was a comfortable mix of their combined talents.
Xena's carpentry was evident in the well-made furniture, and Gabrielle's
eye for decoration added touches of color and beauty, with a bright cushion here
and a pastel watercolor there. The
painting of the seascape they bought on Lesbos hung over the mantel, a memento
of one of the best weeks of their life.
Home.
Such
a simple and such a complex word. She
had left Amphipolis, thinking she would never belong anywhere again.
She met Gabrielle and they began their travels together, spending every
night in a different place, never knowing where the next day might find them.
One day she looked up, and discovered that home was sitting across the
fire from her, writing intently in a scroll.
Being with Gabrielle, anywhere with Gabrielle, had become her home.
She
remembered her last visit to the cave, so warm and loving, and full of promise
for the future. So different from
this visit. With Gabrielle, it was
a place of wonder and magic, the bard opening her eyes to the colors in the
crystal, and her ears to the music of the water.
Gabrielle had written a beautiful poem for her, on the spot, inspired by
the falls and the moonlight. Gabrielle
made the cave special. Without her,
it was cold and dark and lonely.
I
wanna go home.
If
she'd said it aloud, it would have been a pathetic whine, and she was ashamed of
herself. I sound like a little
kid. I must have a fever,
she reasoned. The little kid inside
whined again, wishing for her soulmate's comforting touch against her forehead,
and longing for the soft words she knew Gabrielle would whisper to her as she
took care of her. Yeah, her
eyes fluttered closed. Gabrielle
will make everything okay.
She
awoke with a start, confused by her surroundings.
After careful observation, she realized that lack of noise, rather than
noise had woken her up. The storm
had abated, and only the rush of the waterfall remained.
The fire was burned almost completely down; only a bed of white-hot coals
remained. She forced herself to get
up and walk out onto the ledge. A
clear star-filled sky greeted her eyes, along with a good two feet of new snow.
Great. That's gonna be
fun to break a trail through.
She
made her way back inside, and gently nudged Teresta and Anika awake.
"Get up. We need to
go."
Anika
blinked sleepily and peered around the still-dark cavern.
"It's not daylight yet," she whimpered.
"I
know." Xena knelt down.
"But the storm stopped. We
need to leave now and see if we can make it back to the village before another
one starts up."
There
wasn't much packing up to do. Soon,
they began the long trek through the woods and back to the village.
The warrior led the way, cutting a path for her two young charges to
follow. The girls were wrapped in
their own clothing and cloaks, and additionally were huddled together inside
Xena's cloak, which dragged the ground behind them.
The
warrior wore her leather pants and vest, and the wool shirt.
Gods. She shivered,
despite the effort of breaking the tail. She
looked up at a blanket of stars that were rather blurry.
There was now no doubt that fever had settled in.
Hope I make it home without passing out.
Halfway
home, Teresta collapsed, too weak to carry on.
Xena sighed with resignation, and picked her up, toting her along on her
back. Only the thought of resting
in her own bed, with Gabrielle snuggled up beside her, kept her going.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kallerine
tiptoed into the queen's room and sat down on the edge of the bed, resting a
hand on the queen's shoulder. "Gabrielle."
"Huh?"
The bard opened her eyes and was instantly awake.
She was too worried to sleep very soundly.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
The slayer smiled. "Xena
and the two little girls just got back. She's
over in the healer's hut with them right now.
Pony came over and told me."
"Is
anyone hurt? Do I need to go over
there?" Gabrielle sat up and
swung her legs over the edge of the bed, leaning over and reaching for her
boots.
"I
don't think so. Pony said they all
seemed fine, just a little cold. I
think the healer is just a precaution."
Kallerine moved aside, giving the queen room to tie her bootlaces. "Pony said Xena was going to make sure the girls were
settled in and then she'd be right over here."
"I’m
going over there anyway." The
bard stood and slipped into the sitting room, retrieving her cloak from its peg
and donning it. She opened the door
to find her partner standing there, about to reach for the doorknob. "Xena." She
immediately found herself engulfed in a warm hug. Too warm.
She
pulled back rested the back of her hand against the warrior's cheek.
"Honey, you're burning up."
She pulled her willing soulmate into the room, and quickly lit a few
candles, the bright flames illuminating a drawn and pale face.
"Where's your cloak?" She
frowned, moving closer, studying somewhat glazed and vacant eyes.
"Xena, you're sick, aren't you?"
"I'll
be okay." The warrior shivered. "Just
need a warm bed." She smiled
tiredly. "And you."
"You
need more than that." The bard
turned, spotting the slayer hovering in the corner.
"Kallerine, go to the dining hall had heat up some of that chicken
soup they had at dinner tonight. And
make a pot of herbal tea."
"I'll
be back as quick as I can." The
slayer made a speedy exit, leaving the two lovers alone.
"Xena,"
Gabrielle drew her partner into the bedroom, gently pushing her down until she
was sitting on the mattress. She
knelt to remove the warrior's boots. "Honey,
these are freezing." She
tugged them off, hearing a telltale squishing noise.
She felt inside and grimaced. "And
they're soaked inside."
"I
went swimming?" Blue eyes regarded her carefully, waiting for the deluge of
questions that was sure to follow.
"Are
you insane?!" Gabrielle stood, and began unhooking the leather vest.
"No."
The deep voice rasped, as the warrior managed to keep from coughing.
"Well, not any more insane than usual.
One of them fell through the ice at the pond by our cave.
I had to dive in and pull her out"
"Oh."
The bard slid the vest down her partner's shoulders, and began unlacing
her wool shirt. "Gods, that's
pretty far away."
"Tell
me about it." Xena closed her eyes, enjoying the simple attention, and
smelling her partner's familiar scent, so close to her face. "You should try breaking a path in three feet of snow
from there to here. We had to hole
up in the cave when the storm hit. Luckily
there was some firewood left from when we were there last."
The
bard's eyes grew soft, remembering their time together.
She unconsciously twisted the tri-color gold band on her ring finger, and
felt long fingers grasp her hand, pulling it upward.
The
warrior pressed the smaller hand against her own cheek.
"Wished so badly you were there with me.
And that it was warm."
"I
would have kept you warm." Gabrielle
smiled, and gently extracted her hand from her lover's grasp so she could get
the damp shirt off.
When
the cool air hit her bare skin, a violent shiver shook the warrior's body, and
she coughed, doubling over for a few moments until the spell passed.
"Can't get warm."
"Xena,
you didn't answer me earlier. Where's
your cloak?" She helped her
partner remove the leather pants, and quickly pulled a warm long-sleeved sleep
shirt over her head, carefully plucking the long dark locks out of the collar.
"In
the healer's hut. When Teresta fell through the ice, I had to take her clothes
off and let them dry, so my cloak was the only thing I could wrap her up in.
Then later, they were both so cold, I let them sleep under it."
The warrior allowed herself to be pushed back, until she was laying down.
She felt warm blankets being tucked around her, and sighed with relief.
Gabrielle
sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching out and stroking the dark head.
"So if I'm understanding you correctly, you've been in a cave, in
cold wet clothes, with no cloak, for most of the night?"
"Not
the whole time." Xena
murmured, letting the comforting touches soak into places that drove the chill
away. "I took my clothes off when I went fishing."
"But."
The bard stopped. She
didn't take any food with her. "So
you went back into the water to catch fish?
Gods, Xena. No wonder you're
sick"
"We
had to eat." The warrior tilted her head, giving her partner her most
charming look. "It wasn't that
bad, really."
"Uh-huh."
Gabrielle shook her head knowingly.
"I'm going to go mix up some herbs for fever and consumption, and
I'll be right back."
"Okay."
The blue eyes fluttered closed.
After
a round of herbs, and a quick meal of soup and tea, Xena finally felt her
partner crawl under the covers with her. "Come
here." A lazy grin graced her
lips. "Warm me up."
Long arms engulfed the bard, pulling her tightly against the warrior's
body.
Gabrielle
turned in her arms, facing her. She
felt her forehead and smiled, just a little.
The fever had gone down some. "How
do you feel?" She pushed a
lock of hair behind Xena's ear.
"Getting
warmer." Xena smiled. "There
was a while in the cave when I thought I'd never be warm again."
She studied the green eyes, so full of love and concern.
No one ever looked at me the way she does.
She pecked her lover's forehead. "Thank
you."
"For
what?" Gabrielle basked in the
attention.
"For
taking such good care of me. And
for helping me get home."
"Honey,
I didn't help you get home." She
must still be confused from the fever.
"I wasn't even there."
"You
. . ." The warrior touched the
tip of her nose. " . . . are always with me.
Thinking of you and our home was what kept me going."
"Oh."
Gabrielle's eyes shone, and her cheeks blushed prettily.
She called it our 'home.' The
bard curled into the long body, resting her head on a broad shoulder, feeling
long arms settle possessively around her. "Glad
I could help out."
A
soft brushing of lips against fine blonde hair was her response.
This. The warrior
relished the familiar sensation of the body in her arms.
Nothing is ever going to separate me from this.
M'Lila's words came back to her.
'Gabrielle is your way.' I
dragged her around the world on my half-crazed quest for redemption, she
mused. I didn't have to go
anywhere. It was right her next to
me all that time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The
body behind her thrashed fitfully, and unintelligible words were mumbled just
inches from her ear. Gabrielle
carefully pried a long arm from around her waist and pulled away, rolling over
and sitting up. Xena was trembling
and her lips twitched, fighting demons in her sleep.
"Xena, honey . . ." She
gently nudged the curve of a hip.
"Huh?"
The warrior sat up. "What?"
Confused blue eyes darted around, finally coming to rest on the bard, who
was immediately recognizable, even in the darkness.
Xena's teeth chattered. "So
cold."
"Shhhh.
You were having a bad dream." Gabrielle
drew her into her arms, stroking a head full of damp hair, which rested against
her shoulder. "Honey, I think
your fever broke. You're soaking
wet. Let me get you a fresh sleep
shirt."
The
bard quickly retrieved a clean shirt from the bureau and returned to the bed.
She pulled the crumpled one over Xena's head, reaching out to stroke the
clammy skin in a comforting gesture, as she settled the fresh one into place.
"There. How's that?"
"Thirsty."
Xena pouted, swallowing audibly.
Oh.
Someone's actually feeling a whole lot better.
"Here." She grabbed a leather flask from the bedside table.
"I put this here just in case."
She tilted the spout down to Xena's lips, listening to her partner's
thirsty gulps. "I should give
you another dose of herbs while you're awake."
"Don't
need more herbs." The warrior
flopped back down on the bed, crossing her arms defiantly.
"Xena,
honey." Gabrielle twitched the shirt collar into place and tugged the
covers up, tucking them around the long body.
"Please, just one more dose for me?"
Blue
eyes blinked in the darkness, catching a glint of moonlight from the window.
"For you?"
"Yeah."
The bard traced a surprisingly cool cheekbone. "Just for me."
"Okay."
The warrior reluctantly reconsidered.
"But I don't really need them."
"I
know you don't, but it'll make me feel better if you take them anyway."
Gabrielle was already mixing the finely ground leaves into a cup, pouring
some water from the flask over the mixture.
She stirred the concoction and helped her partner sit up.
"Hold your breath and swallow it down."
Xena
complied, her nostrils flaring at the sharp unpleasant scent that assaulted her
nose. "Uggh."
She swiped her hand across her mouth.
"I hate that stuff."
The
bard bit off a chuckle. She probably created it in the first place.
She put on her most sympathetic face.
"Yeah, it's pretty bad, huh?"
"You
got that right." The warrior
slowly sunk down into the mattress. She
watched her partner set the empty cup back on the table.
Gabrielle slipped back under the covers, snuggling up against her once
more, allowing Xena to rest in her embrace for a change.
"Sorry,"
the deep voice rasped.
"For
what?" The bard ran her
fingers lightly up and down Xena's arm, feeling the fine hairs against her
fingertips.
"For
being such a rotten patient." Xena
was silent for a long moment, and Gabrielle thought she had fallen asleep.
She jumped a bit when the warrior spoke again, this time much more
softly. "Don't know why you
put up with me sometimes. Can't be
much fun for you."
"Xena."
Warm lips brushed across the warrior's head. "I'm not in this to have fun, and I'm not in it only for
the good times. I decided, a long
time ago, that I was in this for the long haul.
So when you're sick, or hurt, or you're just having a really miserable
day, I'm still going to love you just as much, if not more."
"Why
more?" The voice grew quiet,
almost hesitant.
"Because
when you're feeling yucky and unlovable is when you need love the most."
Gabrielle's sensible voice settled over her.
The
warrior felt it, taking hold of her heart and somehow pushing the tightness in
her lungs, and the scratchiness in her throat away from her conscious thought,
if only for a little while. She
concentrated on the love that radiated from her partner, and felt her body
slowly relax. She wanted to stay awake and continue to absorb it, but her
body had other ideas, and she was soon fast asleep, cradled in the arms of the
only one she would ever allow to see her in such a vulnerable state.
Morning
found her feeling much better, and she awoke to find the other side of the bed
empty. She frowned, and grasped a
piece of parchment that rested on Gabrielle's pillow.
The frown turned to a smile, as she read it:
Xena
- I've gone to check on the two girls and to get breakfast.
Don't you dare get out of bed, no matter how good you feel.
You need to take it easy this morning.
Okay? Please?
I'll be back soon. Love you
- G
"Hmmppph.
Think I'll get in trouble if I take a nice hot bath?"
Trouble heard her name and thought she was being spoken to.
She jumped from the rug up to the bed, crawling gracefully across the
blankets and ducking under the covers to curl up in the crook of Xena's knees.
"Meow?"
She nudged the olive skin, tickling the warrior with her long whiskers.
"Hey."
She tried to sound annoyed, but truth be told, she secretly enjoyed the
feline's attention. Gabrielle tried
to explain to her that the surest way to get an animal to pay attention to you
is to ignore it. So far she had
been right.
Trouble came and went from the hut to the community stables, where her brood of half-grown kittens lived.