Musings Chapter 4

          Musings Chapter 4 

          Written by Virginia Leonard

          Copyright 1997

     "Artemis told you pretty much what

happened."  Gabrielle shrugged her shoulders and

returned her attention to the breakfast, floating in

sweet syrup, on her plate.

     Xena slapped her hand against the table,

"How can you sit there so calmly, like nothing out of

the ordinary has happened?"  Xena reached over the

table and grabbed Gabrielle's head, shaking it as if

something might break free.  "Hello!  I'm seeing

lights, but..."

     "Oh, alright, if you insist."  Gabrielle was

delighting in teasing her stoic warrior partner.  She

signaled for a refill of her hot tea then leaned back in

her chair, replaying the foggy memories, hoping to

make some sense of the montage of images flashing

across her mind's eye.  "I remember feeling the arrow

hit my chest," Gabrielle said as she absently placed her

hand over the scar, a tiny white spot in the center of

her chest, perfectly round, smooth as a river stone and

completely flawless.  "I never felt any pain.  The next

thing I remember, I'm standing next to a little girl and

we are watching what is happening in the cave."

     Gabrielle shifted in her chair, "I could see

everything.  I knew what you were thinking, what Ares

was thinking, I could feel his anger."  She looked up at

Xena, "He sees your change of heart as a betrayal and

he's consumed with the desire to take you back.  What

I saw in him frightened me.  He's obsessed with you."

     "I know that.  I've felt it once or twice," Xena

replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

     "There were times when the image of you

began to fade and reappear, each time, a little clearer, a

little sharper."  Gabrielle paused, "I saw you standing

over him with your sword raised and I felt his fear.

Xena, he was afraid of you, truly afraid, then he was

excited by that fear and it made me sick."

     Xena noticed Gabrielle's hands begin to

shake and she reached out, taking them into her own,

hoping to pass understanding and compassion through

them to her bard.  "I'm ok.  Ares holds no power over

me, not anymore, not as long as I have you."

     Gabrielle smiled then continued, "It gets

fuzzy from here.  The little girl leads me to a place.” 

Gabrielle shakes her head slightly and sighs.  “I

can't describe it, it's something I can feel more than

see.  Rhea is there, waiting, and when we arrive, she

thanks the little girl then sends her on her way.  I never

knew her name or even what she was."

     "Rhea was in the cavern with me.  I talked to

her and I gave her your body.  I heard her chastise Ares and

for whatever reason, I trusted her."

     Gabrielle laughed, "I feel for Ares.  I don't

think she's a woman to be taken lightly.  Even Zeus

differed to her."

     Xena raised her eyebrow, "You met Zeus?"

     "Not exactly.  I was sort of standing off to

one side while he and several others talked about me.

He's not nearly so terrible looking as the stories make

him out to be, at least I didn't think so."

     "So, what happened?"

     "Rhea told her story to Hades and to Zeus. 

Ares threw a tantrum and forbade Hades to intervene--

big mistake.  Artemis pulled Hades to one side and

they talked for awhile.  Finally, Hades looked at me

and asked some questions."

     "What were they?"  Xena interrupted.

     "Odd, I don't remember but apparently I

answered them correctly because he granted Rhea's

request.  I did have to make a couple of promises to

her though."

     "Like?"

     Gabrielle could feel the flush creeping up her

neck and covering her face, fire touching her cheeks. 

"Don't worry, they aren't promises that I won't like

keeping."

     Xena decided not to ask any more questions

about that particular subject, instead, she focused on

the luminous white scar that was peeping through the

opening of Gabrielle's shirt.  She reached out and

touched it with her finger, "What about this?"

     "I don't know and neither does Artemis.  She's

never had one of her targets return from the dead.”

Gabrielle paused for a moment.  “ You know, she's

quite charming."

     "Mm.  I hadn't noticed."

     Gabrielle laughed.  "She's also very talkative.

I learned a lot during the weeks we spent looking for

you."

     Now it was Xena's turn to blush.  "I'll just

bet you did."

     "Don't worry.  Your secret's safe with me

and I promise never to tell a soul about your ticklish

spot.  Cross my heart."

     "Great Zeus, did she tell you everything?"

     "Pretty much."  Gabrielle's smile grew larger.

     "Is nothing sacred?"  Xena sighed, burying

her face in her hands.

     "Depends on who you ask.  Artemis certainly

thinks so."

     Xena peeked between her fingers with one

eye.  Gabrielle winked.  Xena wanted to die.

                                @@@ 

     Gabrielle waited outside while Xena settled

her account, face raised towards the sun, feeling her

skin tighten as the rays warmed it up.

     She liked to travel and it felt good, no--

comfortable and familiar was more like it--to be back

on the road with her best friend, now lover, looking

for the next adventure.

     She watched Xena going through her usual

routine but somehow, what was once very familiar

movements, had become different.  The way Xena

scratched Argo's nose was more intimate, her hands,

checking buckles and snaps, were more intense.  The

crease that appeared between her eyes when she was

deep in thought seemed more pronounced.  Even her

laugh sounded different.

     "You ready?"

     "What?  Oh, sure, whenever you are."

     "You want to ride?"  Xena asked.

     "No," Gabrielle patted Argo on her shoulder,

"I like Argo, and all, but we still have some

differences to work out."

     Xena laughed and draped the reins over her

horse's neck.  "Whatever."

     They had walked for hours and Gabrielle's

stomach was just beginning to rumble when Xena's

sensitive ears picked up the sounds of several people

crashing through the trees.  In one smooth motion, the

warrior smacked Argo on the rump, a signal for the

horse to disappear then pushed the bard down behind the

bushes and drew her sword.

     "Hey, what the..."

     "Ssh.  Someone's coming and it sounds like

they're in a hurry."

     "I don't hear anything, except my stomach."

     "And you won't if you don't get quiet!"

     In a matter of minutes, a group of five men,

simple villagers most likely, appeared in the road

ahead.  They were armed, sure enough, but with rusty

swords, a dull hunting knife or two and a wicked

looking woodsman's ax.  Xena tried to put on her

fiercest warrior's face and stepped from her hiding

place out into the middle of the road.  The ragtag

group came to a sliding stop, each one bumping into

the one ahead of him.

     "We's armed and ready to fight, we is."

     "Amateurs," Xena mumbled.  "I have no

desire to fight with anyone right now.  My

partner and I are tired and hungry, now why don't

you just let us be on our way?"

     No one moved.

      "Alright, look, I'll put my sword away and

introduce myself then you'll do the same.  OK?"

     Heads nodded in agreement.

     "I'm Xena and this is Gabrielle."  The

warrior gestured towards the bushes as the bard

emerged, picking leaves and twigs out of her hair.

     "Hi."

     The leader of the group took a cautious step

forward and lowered his blade, "I'm Lariolieus, that's

my brother Darius, and that's my other brother..."

     Xena and Gabrielle looked at each other.

     "...Darien.  The other two are friends.  We're

looking for help," Larolieus continued. 

"There's a warlord, Renfrew, headed

towards our village and word is he’s unstoppable."  

"Why, no one raises so much as a stick to

‘im. His army comes in, conquers then, poof, he's

gone, leaving only a few of his men behind to make

sure the villagers do what they're told," Darius added.

     "They say he has a secret weapon but no one

has been able to describe it," Darien chimed in.

     "How far back is your village?"

     "About a mile."

     "Let's go," Xena said after a brief exchange

with Gabrielle. 

                                @@@

     The village looked very similar to every other

outlying village that Xena had seen with one noticeable

exception.  The energy given off here was much

different, more focused and alert.  Already, people

were doing what they could to make homes more

defensible, windows were being boarded, thatched

roofs dripped with water and businesses were loading

their inventory on wagons and moving them to a

different location.  One could not loot what one could

not find.

     All in all, Xena was impressed.  Someone

here knew what they were doing and it was knowledge

that could only be obtained through experience or

formal military training.  "Who's in charge here?” she

asked Lariolieus.

     He pointed to a young woman standing on a

pile of wooden boxes, hands on her hips, watching

intently as her suggestions were being carried out.

"She is."

     "Thanks.  C'mon, Gabrielle, let's go see what

this half-pint's all about." 

     "Don't be too gruff, she doesn't look much

more than twelve and I wouldn't want you to scare her

to death."

     "Look, Miss I came back from the dead,

don't let those breeches get to small.  I'd hate to have

to take you down a notch or two," Xena quipped.

     "Ooh, I wish you would."  Gabrielle reached

up and, very discretely, pinched the warrior's behind.

     The young woman watched the two strangers

approaching her review stand.  One carried herself

with the awareness and reflexes of a trained warrior.

The blue eyes were constantly scanning the

surroundings, not missing much, the young woman

thought. 

     The redhead?  Now that was another

question.  She carried a decent staff and handled it

with great familiarity but without much respect.  She

probably fought only as a last resort, deferring to the

warrior when true battle skills were needed.  Odd,

something seemed strangely familiar about her and the

young woman made a mental note to think about that

later.

     "Lariolieus tells me you're in charge.  I'm

impressed."

     "Why, because I know what I'm doing or

because I'm a girl?"

     Xena opened her mouth to reply but was cut

off by the sharp jab in her side.

     "You know what you're doing," Gabrielle

interrupted, cutting a surreptitious glance up at her

partner.  "That's unusual for a village this small and

this far from any major cities.  Where did you get your

training?"

     "In Hippilos.  I spent two years at the

lyceum."

     Xena arched her favorite eyebrow, "That's an

all male school."

     "Duh.  In case you haven't noticed, I'm slow

to develop," she looked down at her still flat chest,

"and no one ever bothered to look or ask."

     "How old are you?"  Gabrielle asked.

     "Sixteen."

     "I'm Gabrielle, this is Xena and we're here to

offer whatever help we can."

     "I'm Adalai," she cocked her head at Xena,

"and you look taller in your pictures."

     "Pictures?"

     "Yeah, the boys at the lyceum have tons of

 em and they make you look taller."  Now she knew

why the duo looked so familiar.

     All other conversation was cut off by the

shouts of a boy running towards the stand from the

opposite end of the village.  He collapsed, fighting to

catch his breath.  "They're here.  In the trees around

us.  A small group broke away and are maybe two

minutes behind me."

     Adalai began to shout orders, the picture of

confidence and reassurance.  Gabrielle could see why

the villagers had so readily followed this child.  In

times of chaos, all most people wanted was someone

to step forward and assume responsibility, a job that

Adalai was doing remarkably well.

     The streets cleared, doors slammed shut,

window boards were checked and re-checked; the

village became a ghost town with only the echoes of

voices left to keep the armed trio company.

     "What do you want us to do?"  Xena's was

the first voice to shatter the silence and it unnerved her

companions.

     "Wait here.  Let's see what they want."

Adalai whispered.  "I've got several nasty little

surprises waiting for them if they try anything."

     Gabrielle rolled the staff in her hand, testing

and retesting its balance, adjusting, concentrating on it

and not her nerves.  Xena, hands on her hips, absently

toyed with the clip that held her chakram, finding

comfort in the familiar metal weapon.

     Adalai scanned the surrounding area, running

the list of preparations over and over in her head.  Had

she forgotten anything, could she use the sword

strapped across her back, would she live to see the end

of the day, suppose there really was a mole on Xena's

hip?

     They heard the advance party approaching

and shortly thereafter, they saw a group of ten riders,

all heavily armed, coming down the street.

     "I'll be...," Adalai spat.

     "There's your secret weapon," Gabrielle

interrupted.  "No wonder he's unstoppable."

     "Children.  They're using children as

shields."  Xena added through clenched teeth.