Captured Chapter 5

Captured, Chapter 5

Written by Virginia Leonard

Copyright, 1997

           

            Rhoane, Xena and Gabrielle met in the protection of the trees

and underbrush far enough from the house so as not to be heard yet

close enough to see and/or hear whatever might be going on inside.

            Soon, Brandy’s father came strolling down the lane and

once inside the house lit a lantern, bringing the darkened

space to life.  The three women could see shadows and silhouettes

passing back and forth in front of the window and a few minutes later,

just as Brandy had told them, the light went out.

            “All right, look, Brandy sketched a layout of the house.”  Rhoane

rolled out a piece of parchment and weighted the corners with rocks.

The half-moon was out which gave them enough light to see the

drawing but not so much as to reveal their hiding place.  “I’ll go in here,

cross to the kitchen, snag the talisman and then leave the same way I

went in.”

            “Rhoane?”

            “What, Gabrielle?”

            “That’s the front door.”

            Rhoane looked at the drawing, up at the bard, back at the

drawing and finally back at the bard before speaking.  “Well...yeah.

So?”

            “I’ve always heard that thieves find some clever way in and

out...like the chimney or something.”

            “Sweetheart, the bards do that to the thieves.  Rarely do we

like to work that hard.  We’re lazy.  One takes the easy way in and the

easy way out.  Poof.”

            “Not very romantic.”  Gabrielle pouted.

            Rhoane looked over at Xena who merely shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s not supposed to be.”

            Gabrielle snorted then turned her attention to the parchment.

            “Now, Xena, you watch the back.  If I’m not out of there in an

hour, come look for me.”

            “An HOUR!?”  Xena burst out in a very loud whisper.

            “Would you relax?  It won’t take that long but in case

something does go wrong, come get me after and hour.  Gabrielle, you

watch the front.  If you see anything unusual make a noise or

something to warn us.  Got it?”

            Gabrielle nodded her head and instinctively tightened her grip

on her staff.

            “This’ll be a piece of cake so don’t worry.  I’m in and out of

there with no problems.”

                                 @@@

            Just as Rhoane had suspected, the front door was unlocked and

opened without making so much as a squeak.  She eased her way in and

crouched in the shadows, allowing her eyes time to adjust to the

darkness.

            According to the drawing, the kitchen would be to the left and

back of her current position.  On silent feet, padded by her soft soled

boots, she began her trek towards the back.

            So far, all was going according to plan.  Brandy was to wait at

the tavern until they returned then take possession of her talisman.

Beyond that, they had not really discussed the next step.  Rhoane

supposed she would do her very best to talk Brandy out of the trinket so

that she could take it back to her employer, collect her money then be

on her way.  There was just one small problem with that.  Rhoane had

developed strong and very deep feelings for this woman and it was

playing havoc with the commerce part of her brain.

            Rhoane sighed and decided to deal with that when the time came.

She also made a mental note to compliment Brandy on her

housekeeping skills.  A properly cared for floor never had any squeaky

floor boards and this one had been perfectly silent. 

            Just beyond the entryway to the kitchen it hit...this

overwhelming urge to sneeze.  Not only that but Rhoane’s eyes began to

water profusely which in turn would make her nose run.

            “Oh great,” she thought.  “This kitchen must be full of

rosemary.” 

            Rhoane laid her head against the floor and tried to gain some

control over her allergic reactions but it was not helping.  Suddenly, she

needed to sneeze and not just any sneeze, but one that would blow the

place apart.  She held her breath and squeezed her nose shut and while

the sneeze was silent, it caused her to jerk so strongly that she cracked

her forehead against the floor.

            Now, she was not only having an allergic reaction but she had

knocked herself silly.  Two more sneezes came and went before Rhoane

decided to move closer to the pallet. 

            So far, Brandy’s father remained still in spite of the commotion

the thief was raising, and his breathing was steady.  Rhoane continued to

inch closer and closer, pausing every few feet to deal with another

bone-jarring sneeze.  She was pleased with herself because through it all

she was managing to stay calm.  After all, this had happened to her

before so there was no real reason to panic.  Only a minor hearing loss

which she had learned early on was temporary.  A couple of days worth

of swallowing and they would open right back up.

            Rhoane was now lying next to the pallet and once she was

certain that the tavern owner was still asleep, she began to snake her

hand under the pillow, just as Brandy had instructed, and let her fingers

search for the metal medallion.

            After what seemed like hours, she finally felt the cold metal

against her fingers.  When she wrapped her fingers around it she felt her

hand begin to vibrate and her entire body began to set up a harmonic.

She heard what she thought was a group of voices in her head.  They

were humming...chanting something in a language that Rhoane didn’t

understand.

            She let go of the talisman and pulled her hand back.  It tingled.

She looked at her palm but saw nothing unusual there.  As the voices

began to fade and the tingling to subside, she reached back under the

pillow and grabbed the necklace, pulling it free and placing it in the

leather pouch she always wore on the belt at her waist.

            She could only move about three feet before another sneezing

attack would strike and by the third one, she was certain that she was

going to cause a lung to explode.

            Rhoane met back up with Xena and Gabrielle and they cautiously

made their way back to the village.  It had already been decided that

they would wait in the stables until Brandy came and got them after she

made certain that the tavern was completely empty or that everyone was

fast asleep.

            Xena and Gabrielle sat on a bale of straw and were quietly

whispering to each other, interspersing the conversation with the kind of

laughter that told Rhoane just what was going on between the two.  The

word insatiable kept popping into the thief’s head and every time it did

she could not help but smile.  Finally, she thought to herself, someone

that can handle that hardheaded warrior.

            While she sat, trying desperately not to look around, Rhoane

kept taking the medallion out of her pouch and looking at it.  Funny, it

had not shocked her since the first time she touched it.  She turned it

over and over, studying each side.  It seemed vaguely familiar to her.

Of course she had looked at the drawing so many times that she had

memorized its image but the nagging feeling that she had held or at least

seen this piece of metal before just would not go away.

            “What in the name of Zeus is keeping Brandy?”  Rhoane stood

up and began to pace.  The waiting was beginning to make her edgy.

            The door opened slightly and Brandy slipped in.  When she

turned around, it was obvious that the young woman was in distress.

Once again, her face was bruised and beginning to swell.  She walked

quickly to where Xena and Gabrielle were sitting and began pulling

them to their feet.  “You have to go,” she whispered then looked at

Rhoane.  “Especially you.”

            “Brandy...” Rhoane began as she started to touch the injured

face.

            “Don’t.”  Brandy caught Rhoane?s hand.  “You have to hurry.

Father’s on his way here and he’s bringing some men with him.”

            “Why?”  It was Gabrielle’s turn to ask the questions.

            “Because he knows who took the medallion.  I tried to explain

but he’s not listening.  He’s crazy and he’s coming after you three.”

            “I’m not afraid of him.”

            Brandy placed her fingers over Rhoane’s lips.  “He wants to kill

you and I don’t think there’s anything that will stop him from trying.”

            “I can ta....”

            “Stop it.  No fighting.  I don’t want either of you hurt.  I love

you and like it or not, he is my father.  I may hate him but I don’t want

him hurt either.”

            Rhoane opened her mouth to speak and was once again silenced

by the serving girl.  “Don’t....I can’t and we both know it.  Saddle your

horse and get out of here before he shows up.  Please.” She pleaded,

tears forming in her eyes.

                        @@@

            The two horses had been saddled and lead from the barn.

Xena and Gabrielle were already mounted and waited while Rhoane said

one last goodbye then climbed up on her own horse’s back and without

looking back, she thumped her heels into the animal’s ribs and took off

at a gallop towards the forest beyond the borders of the village with

Xena and Gabrielle not far behind.

            No sooner had Rhoane reached the edge of the trees when she

suddenly pulled up short, her mare skidding on her hocks and finally

standing still.  The chorus of voices was ringing in her head again and

this time it was so loud that she could not hear herself think.  She could

not make out what they were saying.  It was as if thousands of people

were talking at the same time, words were being spoken but there was

no meaning.

            Not knowing why, she reached into her pouch and pulled out

the amulet.  As soon as her hand closed around it, the voices suddenly

began to speak in unison and despite the fact that it was a language that

Rhoane did not recognize, she knew what they were saying.  She looked

at Xena then at Gabrielle.

            “I have to go back,” was all she said then galloped back

towards the village.

            “Is she always this complicated?”  Gabrielle asked.

            “Pretty much,” Xena sighed then urged Argo to follow.

                        @@@

            Rhoane, still on horseback, walked slowly around the corner and

saw Brandy in the middle of the street on her knees at her father’s feet.

Rhoane allowed the rage to boil within her, using it to heighten her senses

and prepare her body for whatever may happen next.  She could almost

smell the stench of hatred coming from the older man and hear the heart

racing in Brandy’s chest. 

            “Don’t you dare lay another hand on her.  Not if you want to

live,” she said, her voice low and controlled but with an intensity that

carried it to her target’s ears.

            He turned to face the thief which gave Brandy the opportunity

to scramble out of his reach.  “How nice that you’ve saved me the effort

of coming after you.  Now, give me back what’s mine.”

            “It’s not yours.”  Rhoane continued to walk her horse towards

Brandy’s father, giving him just enough room so that he would have to

do something obvious in order to reach her.  “It belongs to your

daughter.”

            “We may as well clear that little matter up.  She’s not my

daughter.  Her mother was pregnant with her when I agreed to marry

the woman.  There’s no telling who her father really is.?

            Rhoane clenched her jaw and moved her horse between Brandy

and the man who had masqueraded as Brandy’s father for all these

years.  She looked down at the young lady and tried to fight back the

tears that were threatening to match the ones sliding down the serving

maid’s cheeks.

            Brandy looked up, “Why did you come back?”

            Rhoane opened her hand and let the medallion dangle on its cord

from her fingers.  “Because this belongs to you and because I....well, I

just did.”

            With Rhoane’s head turned, Brandy’s father raised his knife and

began to approach her blind side.

            “I wouldn’t if I were you.”

            Everyone snapped their heads around to see Xena standing

about fifteen yards away, casually twirling her chakram around one of

her fingers.  “Not if you’re fond of all your body parts.”  That famous

smile spread across her face.

            The tavern owner stepped back a few paces and returned his

knife to its sheath.  He glared at Xena until good sense prevailed and he

looked away.

            Rhoane looked at her friend and nodded her head slightly.  She

looked back towards Brandy and felt herself being drawn into those

open and trusting eyes.  She could almost tell what Brandy was thinking

and for the first time in her life, she was not afraid.  She did not want to

run from this, in fact she felt just the opposite.  Rhoane wanted to be

consumed by the energy and love that was radiating from the beautiful

serving maiden.

            Rhoane paid no attention to the goose bumps that were rising on

her arms nor did she give heed to the rapid pounding in her chest.  She,

once again, extended her arm and in a voice barely above a whisper

spoke to her lover, the woman who had managed to finally capture the

thief’s heart.  “This belongs to you and now, so it would seem, so do I.

Come with me.  Be with me and let me love you...us love each other.

Please.”

            Brandy reached out and touched the medallion.  Both women

felt a slight tingling in their fingers then throughout their entire body and

each one heard the same chorus of voices only this time the voices

spoke with great clarity.

            ::the heart beats once again.  the body stirs and

              the mind awakens.  we are one.  we are whole.  we

              are coming::

            Rhoane and Brandy continued to stare at each other for a

moment then looked at those standing around them.  It was obvious

that they were the only ones to hear what had been spoken.  Brandy

hung the medallion back around her neck, took Rhoane’s hand and

placed her foot in the empty stirrup then, with the help of her lover,

pulled herself up behind the thief and wrapped her arms around the

firm waist.

            “If I ever see your face again, I’ll kill you.”  Rhoane told

Brandy’s father then thumped her heels and galloped back towards the

forest.

                        @@@

            Xena had been joined by Gabrielle and they stood observing

what was passing between their companions.  Gabrielle reached down

and slid her hand in Xena’s, giving it a slight squeeze.

            “Oh, this is sooo romantic.”  Gabrielle sighed.

            “Mmm....”  Xena grunted.

            Gabrielle rolled her eyes and decided to keep her mouth shut.

Xena’s lips may be tightly shut but her heart was wide open and

Gabrielle had seen the depths of the love in there.  It surrounded and

held her and kept the bard safe.

                        @@@

            When Rhoane and Brandy held the medallion at the same time,

both Xena and Gabrielle heard a faint humming in their ears much like

the sound of a distant swarm of bees.  They exchanged glances then

looked back towards the new lovers and watched them gallop out of the

village.

            “Come on,” Xena whispered, “let’s get out of here.”

            On the second night since they had left the village, the

foursome was sitting around their small cooking fire drinking warm tea

and eating a delicious thick stew that Brandy had prepared. 

            With no signs of pursuit, they had begun to relax their vigilance

somewhat, no longer posting a watch or looking back over their

shoulders and as the tension faded, conversation became more open.

            Xena set her bowl aside and stretched her legs out towards the

fire.  “So, where are we headed?” she asked.

            Rhoane shrugged her shoulders.  She had not really given it much

thought and neither she nor Brandy had discussed it.  In fact, they had

not discussed what had happened back in the village either.  One being

afraid to mention it to the other for fear of being called crazy.

            “I have no idea.  Away from this area though.  I’m pretty

certain that my last customer will have her dogs out looking for me

since I didn’t fulfill my end of the bargain,” she said as she smiled at

Brandy.  “What do you think, Darlin’?”  You know what you want to

do?”

            Brandy shook her head and swallowed the last bite of her stew.

“I don’t know.  I haven’t given it much thought.”

            “Perhaps I can help,” came a gravely voice from just beyond

the edge of the firelight.

            Xena was immediately on her feet, sword in hand and Rhoane

had rolled backwards off the log she was sitting on, coming up with a

knife in each hand.

            “Who are you?”  Gabrielle asked, her bardic curiosity getting

the best of her.

            The figure stepped into the light and Brandy gasped.  She

slowly walked around the fire until she was standing in front of the

strange woman who reached out and touched Brandy’s cheek with

gentle fingers.  “You look just like your mother.”