Standard Disclaimer - These characters, most of them, belong to Universal, and Renaissance Pictures, and whoever else has a stake in Xena: Warrior Princess. This is written just in fun, and no copyright infringement was intended.

Violence – Where there is Xena, there will be violence. It’s just one of those things. But this kind is not too graphic, and we avoid mentions of limbs being chopped off and used for kindling, or any description of eyeballs being gouged out by an errant chakram or anything like that.

Subtext – Subtext R Us. This story, as was the last one, and the one before that which flowed like a sargassum monster from my terminal, based on the supposition that it’s about two women who love each other a whole lot. Once again, there is nothing graphic, but the theme does wrap itself throughout the story, and if you can’t take this, go read some other nice piece of fan fiction. I will make my usual statement – if love offends you, drop me a note with your snail mail address, and I will send you some authentic, found in Southernmost Florida only, key lime pie. (Just the thing for hot summers.) Because I really do feel bad for you.

 Any and all comments are always welcome. You can email them to:

Bound – Part 10

By Melissa Good

The wind had died down to sporadically fitful gusts, and Xena’s footsteps sounded unnaturally loud to her ears as she threaded her way through the village and headed up towards the ridge. The crisp, cold air carried every noise with uneasy clarity, and she was aware of the soft crunch of rock fragments under her boots, and the sighing of pine needles brushing each other, and the gentle rustlings of night creatures getting out of her path.

If it wasn’t for the twisting in her guts, she reflected soberly, she would have enjoyed the run. It was a beautiful, clear night, and the stars fairly blazed at her when she looked up through the canopy of trees at them, and the air felt clean and refreshing after the evening spent in the overfull and fire heated gathering hall.

Glad I didn’t take seconds. She considered, wryly. The way my stomach feels, it would have been wasted effort. And Gabrielle hadn’t either, which was yet another tip-off that the bard was still disturbed over her day.

Sooner than she’d looked for, she was topping the crest of the plateau, and found herself slowing to a halt on the moonlit rock strewn path, facing the towering granite wall with its dark, uneven opening.

She took a deep breath, and tried to quell the nerves tying her guts in knots, with little effect. Gods.. this isn’t going to work. A fit of wind brushed her hair back, and she blinked as her eyes teared from the cold, dropping her gaze to her boots and kicking a bit at the loose rocks, concentrating on regaining her calm. And her wits.

All right. Her dark head came up, and she fixed her unwavering gaze on the opening. It’s just a cave, Xena. She unfolded her tightly crossed arms, and forced herself to move forward. I am gonna read those damn tablets. She allowed the thought to repeat incessantly, as she reached the opening, and laid a faintly trembling hand on the cold rock face. All right, all right… I can do this. And ducked her head to enter.

Flash of movement, and a sudden rush of musky scent caught her off guard, and she jerked upright, but not in time to escape the scrambling rush of an animal exploding through the opening. A wild roar overwhelmed her sensitive hearing, and before she could even move, a huge form barreled into her, hot breath flashing by her ear, and claws tearing at her cloak.

Only patiently honed reflexes saved her life. The animal bore her down, and made a tearing swipe at her chest, leaving a trail of fire behind, but she’d gotten her legs up and put her feet against it’s barrel chest as it was falling on her, and now she slammed her back against the ground and pushed off, throwing the beast against the rock wall and rolling clear.

Bear. Male, pretty young. Her mind cataloged the threat as she came back up on her feet, and sank into crouch. Oh gods… Her shoulder screamed, and she glanced down to see red staining her tunic, and the shreds of her cloak swinging free.

The bear scrambled to his feet, and roared, standing up and reaching for the stars before he dropped to all fours, and bolted towards her, mouth open and grasping for her. She waited for him to come close, then jumped over his head, landing on still shaking legs, and watching him tumbled over the edge of the path, and into the steeply sloped hillside. Unable to stop, the bear kept rolling, until he crashed into a large tree on a lower slope. Slowly, he got to his feet, and shook his heavy head, turning it to look up at her balefully.

And decided to look for an easier, less elusive enemy, as he grudgingly turned, and limped off into the darkness of the trees.

Xena pressed her back against the rock wall, and let herself slide down, until she was sitting just outside the cavern entrance. She dropped her head back against the stone, and took controlled breaths until the fierce pain in her shoulder dulled to an intense throbbing, and then, finally, put a hand up to assess the damage.

The hand came away covered with blood, and she flinched, but pulled the torn fabric away from the wound and examined it. Gods that hurts. Her mind groaned. A second look, though, reassured her that the gouges, while painful, were relatively shallow, having been partially blocked by her cloak. Oh boy. She sighed. This takes being a clueless idiot to new heights, Xena. So damned tied up in being afraid, you forgot to listen to your own damn instincts. Gods. It’s a good thing I’m going home. I’m getting to be totally useless. To myself, to her.. what in Hades is wrong with me? She sighed again in self disgust, letting her head fall against the rock and closing her eyes. Some lame excuse I came up with to come up here, just because my damn ego can’t stand the thought of someone knowing I’m afraid of something. How pathetic is that.

Well.. let’s just give it our token try, right? Giving the cavern an irritated look, she gathered herself up, and, before she could think better of it, swung herself inside the opening, and against the inside wall.

Darkness. Silence. Still air. It collapsed on top of her, and she could only hear a dull roaring in her mind, as she fought to control the wild impulse to run. Oh no. I am not moving. She wrapped her arms around her knees, and concentrated on breathing. The panic rose, and cascaded over her, and she struggled to stay motionless, just breathing, just waiting. Focusing her thoughts on the pain, and the anger, as she curled her arms tighter, and just hung on. I am not moving. The darkness pressed harder, and she took short, savage breaths, willing it to back off.

It took forever, at least, but gradually she felt the panic start to lessen, and the roaring slowly faded, leaving her exhausted. She slumped bonelessly against the wall, shivering as the cold stone leached heat from her body.

She had no idea how long she just lay there, until she’d gotten back enough motivation to push herself upright and very slowly, cautiously, extend her legs out in front of her. OK..OK.. that’s better. She kept her eyes closed, and now could hear the subtle sounds of the cave, as the wind entered the crevice and moved the pebbles around, and the mountain settled around her.

Opened her eyes, and waited, patiently, until her night vision adjusted, and began to show her very faint outlines in the soft moonlight coming from the entrance. Her breathing calmed, and steadied, and she let out a deep sigh of relief. I did it. A shaky smile traced across her lips, as she glanced around the cave, taking in the deep pile of stone chips, and the darker opening just across from her. I.. can’t believe it. I didn’t think… She ran a still shaking hand through her hair and blew out a long breath of relief. I did it. Now the smile came more surely, and she glanced across the cavern toward the other opening. One down.. one to go. She groaned, getting her feet under her, and standing up. Before I chicken out.

Wincing, she stepped across to the pile of torches Elaini and Gabrielle had left, and lifted one, jamming it between two rocks embedded in the floor, and lighting it with an awkward, left handed motion. Ouch. Her body protested, the deep scratches starting to stiffen up.

The torch fluttered into welcome life, dancing crimson shadows on the interior of the cavern walls, and picking out the chips of gypsum embedded in them. She took another, calming, breath, and lit a few more torches, padding about the cave to place them, until the warm light satisfied her. That’s.. a little better. She sat down for a moment near the inner entrance, and let her head fall into her hands. Come on.. come on, you can do this. You’re halfway there. Her hands clenched, and she rested her forehead against them, then stood up, and squared her shoulders. Ok. I am going to go read those damn tablets.

Lifting a torch, she walked steadily over to the darkened inner entrance, and thrust the light through, peering in behind it.

It was worse in here, she reflected, edging in and pressing her back firmly against the inner wall. Closer.. and the air was still and hung heavily around her. Gods.. the panic started to rise, and she closed her eyes firmly, forcing it back down, and concentrating on keeping her breathing steady. Her hands started to shake, and she carefully wedged the torch into a crack in the wall, and folded her arms across her chest, waiting patiently. She concentrated on how much her damn shoulder hurt, and that distracted her mind enough to make the edgy fear fade again, a mixed blessing, she thought if there ever was one.

Finally, she was able to raise her head and look around, blinking to focus in the dim, guttering light of the torch. The spot where they had been working was evident, a fresh gash in the tumbled pile of stone rubble, and several small clear spots on the dusty floor, two smaller and one larger. She knelt down by one of the smaller ones, and brushed her fingers against the floor – even hours later, the residual scent was distinctively Gabrielle’s. That brought a faint smile to her face, and she turned her attention to the dimly lit tablet in front of her. Need more light for this.. she mused, standing up and moving to the entrance, then slipping out and grabbing one of the remaining torches, lighting it, and bringing it back into the smaller chamber with her.

She sat down cross-legged in front of the tablets, and rested her elbows on her knees, peering down. Then she paused, and lifted a hand up, rubbing her eyes and swallowing. Need to just sit a minute, I think. She propped her elbows on her knees, and let her head rest in her steepled hands for a while, until the fuzzy feeling she’d been having faded, and she felt some semblance of her normal alertness. Better. She analyzed, opening her eyes again, and folding her hands together, peering over the tops of them at the patiently waiting tablets.

Xena ran her eyes over the scrawled text for a few minutes, allowing her mind to get used to the meter and sequence. She took a breath, and started reading from the beginning, catching little things that the bard had missed, since she was reading aloud, and translating for her two companions. Things like.. the two had been part of an advance scouting party, looking for a nice, unobtrusive shore to land on.

A dark eyebrow curled up. Didn’t think they'd ever come this far to the south. Interesting.

Things like the fact that the Viking was a younger child of a noble house, and that her brother had been in command of the vessel.

That the Celt was a shaman’s daughter, whose clan was caught in a Viking raid and taken as servants, as was their custom.

Then she became immersed in the story, and felt the anguish of the writer, as Gabrielle had, and knew why. She sees herself there. The thought was quiet. Gods.. was I ever.. that cold to her? Xena thought back, and bowed her head. Knowing now what I do.. there are a thousand things I wish I could take back.. do over. She reached up and wiped her eyes. Guess I should be glad she was too stubborn to give up on me…

Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair, pulling it back out of her eyes, and focused on the last part of the last tablet, written in a different hand, in bold, sure runes that carried their own character.

It took a minute, for Xena’s mind to let the runes sink in, and stir her memories of this odd and fluid language, but after some prodding, they started to make familiar images, and she bent her head to read. And slowly, a smile shaped her lips.

Xena sat back, with a thoughtful look on her face. "Huh. " She said aloud, listing to the skittering echoes. "I think I would have liked her." She paused. "Once we stopped trying to kill each other." She chuckled a little, in rueful self knowledge, then studied the stone cap pensively.

I said I was just going to read the tablet. She scolded herself. And then go back, right? But Elevown’s challenge floated softly, tauntingly in front of her and she found herself curling powerful fingers around the sharp stone edging, and tensing her arms, feeling the rock shift willingly under her grasp.

No. She stopped the motion, and let the stone settle, lifting her hands, and putting them flat on the surface. Gabrielle needs to be here for this.

Xena hauled herself to her feet, carefully stretching to avoid pulling on the now thoroughly stiffened shoulder. Need to take care of that, too. She eyed the claw marks disgustedly. I can’t believe I was that sloppy. Gods. She carefully put out the torches, and moved into the outer chamber, dusting herself off, and settling the torn cloak about her as best as she could. She looked around and nodded. Still don’t like it in here much. But I have control of this now. Her mouth quirked, And I know the end of Gabrielle’s story.

She doused all the torches save one, which she carried with her to the entrance, pausing and listening for a long beat before she ducked out into the cold air. Outside, she put out the last torch, and just stood, for a little while, with her arms wrapped around her, gazing up at the canopy of stars.

Gabrielle let her eyes drift open, letting her gaze flick to the darkness outside, then to the empty spot next to her. Nowhere near dawn.. where the.. her eyes lifted to the fire, and stopped there, as she took in the tall, quiet form leaning against the hearth. Saw the stark contrast of dark rust against her tanned, bare skin, and smelled the sharp scent of the herbal cleanser she was using.

"Xena..!" The bard rolled out of bed, heart going double time, and dropped to her knees next to her partner. "What in Hades!" She pulled the warrior’s hand aside, and sucked in a breath. "What.. where…. Did someone here.. why didn't it wake me up…"

"No." The warrior answered quietly, continuing the clean the gashes. "It’s not that bad.. I got off lucky, actually." Then she took a breath. "You were.. pretty deep asleep.. I haven't been gone long."

Long silence from Gabrielle. "You went up to the cave, didn’t you." It wasn’t a question.

Blue eyes lifted to meet hers. "Yes." Came the simple answer. They looked at each other. "You guys made quite a mess in there." Xena added calmly, dropping her gaze, and continuing her cleaning.

Just like that. Gabrielle reflected silently. Like it was nothing at all that she was able to go in there. "What am I going to do with you? Give me that.." She sighed, tugging the pad of linen out of Xena’s hands, and putting fresh cleaner on it, before setting to work getting all the dried blood out of the gashes. "So.. what are these? " She looked up into her partner’s face.

"Bear." Xena shrugged. "Also likes your cave." She waited a beat. "You going to yell at me?" A wistful question. I deserve it. How many times is she going to forgive me for this?

Gabrielle slowly shook her head. "No." She carefully wiped around one of the claw marks, and felt Xena’s skin flinch. "Sorry."

"Wish you would." Xena’s answer surprised her, and she looked up, startled.

"Why?" She searched the blue eyes intently.

The warrior let her head lean against the fireplace and blinked at her. "Cause I’d rather you yell and get it out of your system than have you bottle it up like that."

The bard didn’t stop her efforts, but she sighed. "Not this time, love. I know… this thing was killing you." She added more cleaner, and wiped carefully around the claw puncture right at the point of Xena’s shoulder, which was edged with angry bruises. "And.. I know you.. couldn’t.. go and try to work that out in front of anyone. " She paused. "Even me." In a softer tone. "I’m glad you were able to do it."

A hand covered hers, and stilled her movement, and she looked up. "I am too. But that’s not why I went there tonight." Xena’s voice was very gentle, and she brushed the bard’s cheek with her fingertips. "I wanted to see your tablets."

Gabrielle settled back against her partner’s raised knees and let her brow furrow. "Why? I didn’t think you’d be interested in them… I mean, the story was ok, but… what would you want with that?" She applied the pad to the cleanser again. "I can’t even read the last part… "

"I can." Xena stated quietly.

Dead silence from Gabrielle, who froze with one hand on the cleanser, and the other resting on Xena’s chest. "Um.. I.. Gods…. I never even thought… you.." I never even thought to ask her to look at them.

A depreciating shrug from her partner. "Yeah, I know.. live by the sword, right? Who needs reading?" But she felt the sting. "Most of the time it works to my advantage.. most everyone forgets there’s a brain behind the baby blues." She looked up with a self mocking smile, which vanished when she saw the look on Gabrielle’s face. "Hey.. just a joke, Gabrielle."

"It’s not funny." The bard put the cleanser down, and wrapped her arms around herself. "I know better than that. " Gods.. I spend half my time trying to get other people to see her as something other than a heartless fighter. So what do I do? Hello? Wake up, Gabrielle! The woman speaks and reads umpteen languages, knows every single mortal animal and plant in the world, has memorized all of Greek common and civil law, and is better than you are at math. And you make a comment like that?

"Gabrielle." The voice tickled her ears.

"What?" She growled, still mentally berating herself.

"If you don’t cut that out this instant, I’m not going to tell you what the end of the story was." Xena drawled.

Gabrielle paused, motionless, and stared at her. "Oh.. you really did read it???"

"I really did." The warrior answered, with a grin.

The bard laced her fingers together, and sat quietly, with her best pleading look.

"No more yelling at yourself?" Xena demanded, giving her eyebrow a quirk.

Solemn shake of the head.

"Forgive me for going up there?" Now the blue eyes gentled, and took on a pleading tone of their own.

Gabrielle freed one hand, and laid it against her partner’s cheek. "You don’t need to bargain for that." She replied quietly. "Seeing that weight off your shoulders is worth it."

Xena took her hand, and interlaced their fingers, taking a deep breath. "Listen.. I . read that whole story." This had to be said. "And.. I think I see.. why it upset you."

"Did you?" The bard breathed.

No way to do this except to just say it. "Gabrielle, if I ever… scared you.. or made you feel like you weren’t welcome.. " A pause. "And I know I did… I’m … " Her voice dropped. "Sorry. I never meant to frighten you. And.. " Their eyes met. "there weren’t many days that I didn’t thank the Fates that you chose.. for reasons I still don’t understand.. to stay with me."

Two years, Gabrielle. You’ve been waiting two years to hear her say that. Now she does.. and you realize you’ve forgiven her that a thousand times over, a long time ago. "I know. " She let her head rest against Xena’s knee, and raised their linked hands to her lips. "I kind of figured that out the first time you risked your life for me." Her smile was mirrored. "Or maybe it was the way you just kept coming and getting me out of scrapes. You could have left me out there a dozen times." She nibbled on Xena’s index finger. "Or maybe it was because even on the worst days I had… getting you to smile at me made it ok." That got another smile back. "Yeah, just like that."

Gabrielle closed her eyes, and pressed her lips against their fingers. "And.. I was scared for you a lot." She let her eyes drift open and find Xena’s. "You were fighting with yourself so hard.. it hurt to watch. " She paused, and gave her partner a direct look. "But I was never scared of you."

"No?" Xena asked softly, pulling her forward and against her chest.

"Nope." The bard answered, snuggling close with a happy sigh. ‘Besides, my story had a happy ending." She tilted her head back, and let their lips touch, closing her eyes as Xena responded, and slid a hand up the back of her neck to tangle in her hair.

"Really?" Xena whispered as they paused briefly.

"Uh huh." Gabrielle nibbled her jawline, and shivered as she felt Xena bite down lightly on her ear. "It’s my story, it’s my ending, and I’m certainly happy."

The warrior’s breath warmed her, as the words slid like molasses into her hearing. "I think they had a happy ending too." She whispered.

Gabrielle’s breath caught. "Then they didn’t…"

"Nope." Xena confirmed, starting to work on the back of her neck, and her breath caught for another reason. "Wanna hear about it now?"

A low throaty chuckle from the bard. "It can wait."

Xena peeled open one eye, and cocked the attendant eyebrow at the pre dawn sky. Not. She snorted, closing the eye tightly and wrapping her body more firmly around Gabrielle’s. Not really remembering how they’d gotten from the fireplace to the bed.. oh yeah. That’s right.. she’d carried Gabrielle, against the bard’s protests about her shoulder being injured and all that.

And because she was just that ornery, she’d proved her fitness by detouring to the window drenched in sillvery moonlight and had held her there, kissing her until they both were breathless.

Xena just grinned, thinking about it. Right now, the moon had set, and it was the darkest part of the night, and she was very happy to pull the covers closer about them and surrender herself back into the warm haze she’d been floating in, and muzzily considered the knowledge that she could now probably participate in the joining ceremony without overwhelming discomfort.

A number of very silly things floated through her mind, and she cheerfully batted the words around, giving herself a case of silent chuckles. No.. no… come on now, be serious. You used to know how to do that, remember? She lay quietly for a little while, absorbing the warmth of their skin on skin contact, feeling the gentle rhythm of the bard’s breathing against her shoulder, matching her own with unerring precision. What can I possibly say that doesn’t trivialize what this means to me?

She felt a little nibble on her chest, and smiled, but kept her eyes firmly closed.

"You awake?" The words gusted gently against her skin.

"Sorta." Xena mumbled.

"How’s your shoulder?" Another nibble, this time a little lower.

"I’ll live." The warrior responded, flexing the area in question.

"Y’know.. I would have been the first one back into that cave today." Gabrielle commented quietly, sliding a hand up and touching the angry gouges. "I think I owe you my life. Again." Her fingers drifted down, curving across Xena’s ribs, and down her front until they rested on her belly, moving slowly with the warrior’s breathing.

"Just part of the job." Xena replied, with a sleepy smile, giving the bard a kiss on the head. "Pays good." She felt Gabrielle chuckle as she pulled her closer.

"Like that job, huh?" The bard asked, letting her fingers move in slow patterns against the soft skin.

"Uh huh." The answer, in a husky whisper, that brushed her ear with a tickle.

Gabrielle smiled. "Good thing. You’re hired for life." She nuzzled closer. "You knew that, right?"

Xena was quiet for a short while. A thousand reasons for not doing this presented themselves in a calm, rational manner, all of them true, all of them valid, all of them logical. She studied them seriously for a time, then simply walked out of the room they were in and closed, then locked, the door behind her. "Yeah, I kind of figured." She rubbed the bard’s back, and let her hands slide across her waist, giving her a little tickle in passing.

Gabrielle giggled softly, and dropped one hand down to catch the warrior behind the knee, feeling the muscles constrict under her other hand as Xena stifled a laugh. "I got you right where I want you." She growled, running her fingers lightly over the sensitive skin there.

And found herself grabbed firmly by the waist, and lifted up, then settled in the curve of Xena’s arms. "Yep, you sure do." The warrior agreed, cheerfully, pulling her head down for a kiss.

She made it last a long time, until she felt the bard’s hands slip from around her neck, and start a slow exploration, sliding inside her shirt and softly tracing the curve of her ribs. "And I like where I am." She said quietly

Gabrielle paused, and rested her chin on Xena’s collarbone. "Do you?"

"Yeah." Came the fond answer. "I really do."

"Mmm.’ The bard sighed. "I know… um.. " Her fingers traced a pattern on Xena’s neck absently. "I’m not the most experienced person around… "

Ah. Xena mused. I was wondering when we were going to get around to discussing this. She sighed, and settled her arms comfortably around the bard. "Let me tell you something, OK?"

Gabrielle just nodded.

"There’s lots of different ways you can do this, right?" Xena began, waiting for her nod. "Right." She took a breath. "It used to be one of my weapons, Gabrielle."

Dead silence from the bard.

"You know that… I would do.. whatever I had to do to get what I wanted." Xena closed her eyes, so she wouldn’t have to watch Gabrielle’s face. "And I’ve done just about everything there is to be done." A pause. "And I’m not proud of that."

Still no sound from Gabrielle, but warm fingers curled around the warrior’s and squeezed gently. That brought a pained smile to her face. "What I figured out was, unless there’s any kind of feelings behind it, this doesn’t mean much at all. It’s just… an act. Like eating, or throwing a rock, or.. whatever."

Gabrielle slowly let her head drop and rest on Xena’s shoulder. "I never thought about that." She sighed.

Xena gazed at her fair head wistfully. "Then.. I found out that.. when you have feelings for someone, what you’re doing doesn’t matter nearly as much as who you’re doing it with… and the stronger those feelings are, the less it matters. " She slid a hand under Gabrielle’s jaw, and lifted her face up. "And.. sometimes… usually only once in a lifetime, I think.. sometimes.. those feelings get so.. so strong, that all you need is one touch… " Her fingertips crossed the bard’s cheek. "Or one look." Their eyes met, and locked. "One kiss." She tilted her head and felt their lips meet, and the deep, warm flood of their connection poured over them.

They broke apart a little, just enough for Xena to make eye contact again. "And you know you’ve come home." She took a breath. "And that’s how you make me feel." She stroked the bard’s stunned face. ‘So.. don’t you worry, my love. I have no memories that can compete with you."

Gabrielle just looked at her, absorbing the moment, cherishing it’s sweetness completely. "You know." She finally whispered, with a long sigh. "I’m gonna have to start accusing you have having bardic tendencies if you keep this up."

They smiled at each other, then Gabrielle rolled her head to one side and regarded the window, which was greying with the dawn light. "I guess I’d really better get up. I’m supposed to go finish that cave with Elaini today, and then watch the ceremony at noon."

Xena regarded her steadily. "We."

"Hmm?" The bard cocked her head. Hoping against hope that meant what she thought it did.

"We, as in you and I, are going to check out that cave, since our Viking friend seems to have left a few nasty surprises behind, and then.. we, as in you and I, are going to spend a little time in a crystal cavern not far from here." A beat. "If that’s OK."

And got a hug so fierce, it almost stopped even her breathing. That sent jolts of pain through her shoulder, that she didn’t even feel. That made it all worth it. All of it.

"Look." Xena said, for the fourth time. "If you just get out of my way, I"ll take care of it." And was ignored, for the fourth time, by the six arguing forest dwellers, who were trying to decide the best way to get the capstone opened.

"We don’t know what’s in there." Wennid growled, putting her hands on her hips. "It could be full of bats for all you know."

"Bats." Xena muttered quietly to herself, leaning against the wall with her long arms crossed. "And how would they be getting in there.. dig a tunnel? With their wings?"

A muffled giggle told her she’d been overheard.

"Maybe they have little bat shovels." She continued.

"Xena." The whisper was more of a splutter than anything.

"Or maybe they grew in there like mushrooms."

"Stop it." Now Gabrielle was leaning against her. "C’mon. It’s their scrolls. "

"Yeah." The warrior pushed off from the wall and shook her shoulders. "But it’s my patience." She walked up behind Wennid, and gently but firmly grasped the forest dweller’s shoulders, moving her over towards the sleeping platforms and away from the stone cap. When she turned around and headed for the stone, the rest of the forest dwellers moved out of her way without a word. They got a raised eyebrow for their efforts. "Thanks. I’ll take care of this." They all looked at her. She hesitated, then laced her fingers together and explained. "It’s meant to be opened by one person – these kind of caps swivel when you lift them up – if you don’t do it on an angle, you can drop it into the hole.. not a good idea."

"Oh." Wennid murmured. "I see."

She dropped to a crouch, then sat down, bracing a booted foot on either side of the heavy stone, and reaching across it to fit her hands around the jagged edge. Then she took a breath, and arched her body, bringing the stone up with a harsh scrape towards her chest. She paused a second, concentrating, then took a better grip, and lifted straight up, powering the stone free and heaving it over one tensed leg to clatter on the granite floor.

A dark, roughly square hole was revealed, disappearing beyond sight into the floor. From it drifted a taint of musty age, and dampness. Xena dusted her hands off, and regarded the hole thoughtfully, then picked up a slate pebble, and dropped it in, cocking her head to listen. It fell for some seconds before the warrior’s ears picked up the impact. Gods. That’s five times my height, at least. The opening was fairly regular, but small – she measured it with her eyes. Damn. Gabrielle would fit, or me, just. And I don’t think I can do.. that.

A hand on her shoulder. "Don’t you even think about it." Whispered in her ear. All at once, the room seemed closer.. and Xena stood up, and went out into the outer cavern, knowing Gabrielle would follow her.

Which she did. "I mean it." The bard said quietly, folding her arms. "I know that look, Xena." She walked around the warrior, forcing her to look at her. "I’m going down there."

"Bad idea." Xena mirrored her posture. "That tablet makes it pretty clear it’s dangerous."

Gabrielle matched her, stare for stare. "And you point is what? That we never do anything dangerous?"

"It’s less dangerous if I do it." Xena calmly replied.

"Is it?" Gabrielle moved closer, until she was almost touching her partner. "Is it? You don’t think I don’t see you sweating in here? You don’t think I can’t feel what’s going on inside you? "

A hit. The bard saw her nostrils flare, and the muscles in her jaw clench. . "You’re one twitch away from losing it, and don’t’ think I don’t know it." She dropped her voice. "It’s not your fault. But what’s going happen in that dark stone tunnel, Xena? You can’t go in there."

"What if you go in there, because I can’t, and you get hurt. You think that’s any better?" Came the blunt answer. "I’d rather take my chances in the tunnel."

"Don’t you treat me like a child, Xena." The bard warned. "It’s my choice."

Wrong tack, Xena. Wrong tack. Remember Plan B? Stop acting like a damned warlord. "Gabrielle…" She sighed, unfolding her arms, and cradling the bard’s face in her hands. "If that tablet said it was courage they were testing, you’d have my blessings, love. You have more of that than I ever will."

Gabrielle’s green eyes softened, and she reached up and wrapped her hands around her partners. "That’s not true." She replied quietly.

"I think it is.. but what that warning says the tests are for size, and for strength, and for reflexes.. and Gabrielle, I want you to look me in the eyes, and tell me I’m not the better choice for that."

Peaceful silence fell over the cavern, broken by the soft whispers from the inner chamber, and the sigh of the wind entering through the break in the wall, where early morning sunlight poured in and painted a bar almost to their booted feet.

"To Hades with them." Gabrielle finally answered. "Let them stay there."

"You don’t know what’s in them." Xena replied, slowly

"I don’t care what’s in them." Came the soft answer. "Nothing that’s there is worth putting you through that." She took a breath. "Just leave them be. I don’t want to see them. "

Xena’s face went very still. Then she looked at the ground, and felt her shoulders relax. "I’ve never backed down from a challenge in my entire life." She stated quietly. And her eyes swept up, and met the bard’s own. A forced smile. "Guess there’s a first time for everything, right?" She gave the bard’s cheek a pat, and turned with a sigh, slipping back through the opening to the inner chamber.

Gabrielle stood, arms wrapped around herself, and looked at the stone floor for a very long time. Then she shook herself a little, and let out a long breath, and walked to the chamber entrance, putting her hand on the rock and peering through before she entered.

The forest dwellers were clustered around the opening, discussing possible plans of action, and measuring rope to determine the length of the shaft. But Gabrielle’s eyes were drawn to her partner, who was seated quietly against the far wall.

Xena’s head was tipped back, and she was watching the activity with a faintly detached air. Her forearms were braced against her knees, and as the bard watched in silence, the blue eyes closed, seemingly of their own accord, and the broad shoulders slumped a little, as she let her head drop forward and rest against a propped hand. When her eyes opened again, there was a look of quiet defeat in them, that hit Gabrielle in a place so deep, she hardly knew where to start looking for it.

Gabrielle, there’s only one answer to that. Just go do it, you can argue about it later on. She slipped across the chamber, behind the engrossed forest dwellers, and settled down by Xena’s side, hooking her arm through the warrior’s.

"Hi." Xena dredged up a smile for her, turning her head and gazing at the bard. "Did you.. what?" Her focus sharpened.

Gabrielle knew something must be showing in her face. "Go." She decided to say, simply.

Xena froze in mid breath, then studied her intently. "But you said…."

"I know." The bard replied firmly. "But I was wrong. Just go. And please.. be careful." She brought their linked hands to her lips, and pressed them to Xena’s knuckles. Then she released her, and slid back so the warrior could stand up.

Blue eyes looked intently into hers for an endless moment, before Xena did stand, and extend a hand to her.

She took it and was pulled to her feet, and into a warm hug, which she returned, and when Xena released her, she brushed by the bard’s ear. "You’re my anchor, love. Don’t forget that."

Then the warrior was walking forward, nudging Tobias out of the way. "None of you is going to fit down that hole. " She stated, seating herself at the edge, and dangling her legs in. "Only me or Gabrielle, and I won the dinar toss."

Golden eyes flicked to the bard, who crossed her arms in silence, then back to Xena.

"Wish me luck." Xena said quietly, then slipped over the edge, and felt for the slight handholds she’d spotted in the dim light. A rope, with the sharp edges, would be too dangerous. She’d have to hope her Viking friend had made it possible for herself, at least, to get down into this shaft. And if you could do it, so could I. She silently informed the long dead sea raider.

She found the first set of handholds by touch, and lowered herself to the full length of her arms, searching for the second set with her booted feet. Found them.. just a little higher than she expected, and paused, then took her feet off the tiny ledges, and just dropped, trusting her instincts to catch her.

They did, but she wondered briefly how she was going to make the return trip. Once she had her hands firmly wedged in these holds, she found others, closer, and was able to make her way down the shaft with little trouble.

Except it was getting darker, as the torchlight from above faded, and closer, and by the time her boots hit the bottom of the shaft, she was sweating, and her heart was beating so hard it was making her head ache. She stopped, and leaned back against the rock, staring up at the small, flickering square high above her head. I must be crazy. What in Hades am I doing down here? One of these days, my damn pride is going to be the end of me.

The thoughts helped distract her, and she took a torch from the bag she’d strapped on, and lit it. A single, small, irregular passageway led off, and down, with barely enough room for shoulders to clear it. Uh oh. She put the torch up to the entrance, and poked her head in.

Bad idea. She shut her eyes, and concentrated, then slowly opened them again. The passage seemed to end further down, but until then, it was a twisted vein in the rock, with slanted walls, and a low roof. A warm, close smell of rock came over her, and all at once she was back in the cave in, with that same smell, and that same dark closeness.

She gasped, and slammed her back against the passageway, fighting to control the images. It took.. an endless time before she was able to open her eyes, and let out a shaky breath. All right, all right. It’s just a tunnel. There’s an opening on both sides, Xena. You can get out. Slowly, she ducked her head inside the passageway

The fluttering torchlight danced off the embedded crystals in the uneven walls, as she edged down the tunnel, her body turned half sideways to keep from brushing the stone. In any other circumstance, Xena mused, glancing up. I might find this almost pretty. She paused, and reached a hand up, touching a protruding bit of crystallized rock, then sighed and continued on.

It was deathly quiet, only the faint sounds of the mountain breathing, pushing eddies and currents past her, flickering the light of her torch broke it, and the sound of her own movements. Of her own breathing, which sounded loud in her ears.

A few more steps, only, and the tunnel ended, and opened up a little. She sighed in relief, and started forward, then stopped, as she felt a prickle of warning skitter up her spine.

No time to think, she just let battle honed instincts react, and dropped the torch, spinning, and diving out of the way as an object flashed by her and slammed against the far wall, sending a shower of sparks across the floor and over her coiled body.

She stayed where she was, eyes flicking over the floor intently, looking for a trigger. Found none, and now she looked over head, in the very dim light of the almost guttered torch, and saw what almost hit her.

A warhammer, the head easily the length of her arm, on a hilt half the length of her entire body. Damn. She stood up cautiously, and examined the still swinging weapon. And imagined, for a brief, shocking moment, what it would have done to Gabrielle if it had hit her. She closed her eyes, and sat down on the pebbled floor, clasping her hands around her knees and resting her forehead on them for a long moment.

Then she straightened, and blew out a long breath, and stood, dusting herself off, glad that she, too, had chosen to wear leggings with her thick wool tunic against the chill of the cave. She picked up the torch, and gave the warhammer one last look, then continued forward. At least it’s given me something more tangible to worry about. She snorted, feeling the fear in her move back, to a different level, and allow her fighting instincts to surface. Silver lining time, I think.

Now there was danger in the darkness, and she felt her body respond to the threat, as her hearing sharpened, and she sucked in air, testing the currents. Her skin tingled with that other sense she had, which could feel an enemy close – that allowed her to fight with accuracy even when blind. That allowed her to catch arrows in mid flight, and the chakram without looking. It was just.. a knowing.. and she felt it surge up now, and quest ahead of her, probing.. testing….

She grabbed the arrow before it even cleared it’s well hidden niche, and felt a feral smile cross her face. Gotta be better than that, Viking. She sensed a net, and sidestepped it, feeling gently for the release catches, and springing them. Watching in some bemusement as the thick ropes gathered themselves by the ceiling. Not a pretty way to die, she mused. But neither was being crushed or skewered. Our Viking meant business.

Now the passage turned sharp to the left, and Xena stepped warily around the corner, all her instincts at a hair trigger. Nothing. Just a short tunnel, with an opening at the end. Her eyes flicked all over the stone, looking for hidden traps, and finding none, then she paced through the opening.

And she felt space around her, as she hadn’t from the moment she’d dropped into the shaft, and felt a subtle weight lift off her shoulders. She was in a chamber, and the ceiling was high above her head, so high she could hear the faint echoes of her footsteps as she crunched on the floor below her, moving towards the dimly seen walls.

Her nose caught a whiff of oil, and she spotted an age covered torch set in a makeshift bracket at roughly her head level on the wall. Hmm. Her eyebrow quirked. Might as well give it a try… she set her torch against the roughly wrapped one above her, and was slightly startled when it burst into light. She blinked, then walked around the edge of the roughly circular cavern, and lit the other five torches.

Then she planted her own in a crevice, and stood back, putting her hands on her hips, and just looked.

So this was their fortress. She marveled, taking in the faded and crumbling tatters that must have been woven mats on the walls. A firepit’s remains crouched in the center, and to one side was what looked to be a fairly large sleeping platform, with a dusty covering of what might once have been furs.

The crumbled remains of a table stood to one side, and she crouched down, sifting through the pieces and finding carefully wrought stone tools, chipped from the obsidian that lay embedded in the mountain around her. Her fingertips touched the painstakingly flinted knives in wonder, and she lifted one delicately, and tested it’s edge.

Still sharp. She stood up, and circled close to the walls, where irregular crevices had provided storage ledges, where items drenched in dust rested anonymously. Personal things, Xena realized, as she gazed at them. Combs. The faint blurry reflection of a mirror. A hammered piece of copper, with a familiar serpentine design on it. That, she lifted and turned to the light, letting ghostly memories surface.

A rough outcropping roofed over a deeper depression, and she let her hand rest on the overhang as she ducked under it to examine what was.. surely… a harp? So encrusted with age, she had to peer closely at it to even distinguish it’s form, and she leaned closer, to gently blow off the top layer of dust.

And the shelf over her head, pulled by the slight downward motion, collapsed, slamming her to the ground so quickly she hadn’t even had a chance to draw breath in surprise. The loose stones cracked into her skull, bringing on a darkness she was no longer capable of holding back.

Quiet settled once again, broken now only by the fluttering of long patient torches.