Gabrielle sat down with Esther's father at the table. "I appreciate what you are doing for us." Gabrielle said for the fourth time.
"I'll admit you have an odd way about you son, but I do owe you a great debt for saving my daughter." He laughed. Esther came down the stair and glanced over at Gabrielle and her father with an annoyed glare as she entered the kitchen to make breakfast.
"She doesn't understand you son." He laughed adding. "And she certainly doesn't like your woman friend." Glad YOU find this amusing, Gabrielle thought.
Xena came down the stairs finally, wearing Esther's dress. She looked beautiful and more like what the Sunmoon expected women to look like, Gabrielle thought. Of course, Xena could wear a potato sack and look great, Gabrielle mused. Xena came directly towards them. She spotted her weapons in the corner with no one trying to keep them from her. The father quickly got up, not wanting to get in the middle of this.
"I think my daughter needs my help in the kitchen." He excused himself, politely and awkwardly smiled at Xena before he left.
Gabrielle watched him leave with envy. She would also prefer to do work in the kitchen rather than face Xena, who stood there, glaring down at her. Returning the cool glare, Gabrielle broke the silence with a comment not expected by the Warrior Princess.
"I can't believe you, of all people, were caught off guard. Especially by two green Sunmoon!" The annoyance from this person seemed genuine, Xena noted, considering he was taking a risk speaking to her like that. Xena's eyes narrowed at the young man who quickly followed the admonishment with questions on how she was feeling. The concern from this person also seemed genuine. Xena sat down ignoring the young man's apparent concern.
"WHY" Xena barked with great annoyance, but stopped herself struggling to get her temper under control. "Why do you have Gabrielle's staff?" Xena finally asked in a more civil tone. Gabrielle sighed and got up to retrieve the staff from the wall. Xena tensed up, not sure of what this young man intended to do with the staff. He would be a fool to take her on, but considering his remark to her about being caught off guard, she didn't rule out his foolishness. Gabrielle looked down at Xena and folded it up.
"Gabrielle... left it behind... and I thought she would want it back." Gabrielle found it really awkward discussing herself in the third person in casual conversation. "I can see you have a great attachment to it so, if you prefer, YOU can make sure she gets it." Gabrielle placed it on the table before Xena.
"She wouldn't just forget her staff." Xena stated not taking her gaze off of the young man, looking for any signs of dishonesty.
"I wouldn't think she would deliberately leave it behind." Gabrielle countered and shrugged. 'Why didn't I think about the staff?' Gabrielle silently scolded herself. "Well, I'm just glad I noticed it after she left." Gabrielle quickly added, pleased with her recovery on the staff issue. The words 'after she left' bothered Xena, which did not go unnoticed by her friend. Torn with the desire to keep quiet and not let anything slip and give Xena some words of comfort, Gabrielle offered more information.
"She was headed to Athens and then remembered she had to make good on a promise you made about delivering a present." Gabrielle noted a small hint of relief from her friend.
If Gabrielle was is real trouble, she wouldn't have time to worry about the present and someone intending to do her harm would not be delivering a present for her, Xena finally accepted this conclusion. Still, there were still many questions to be answered by this young man.
"You delivered a present FROM somebody you don't know TO somebody you don't know? Isn't that a little unusual?" Xena asked.
"Have you tried to say no to Gabrielle?" Gabrielle eyed her friend. Xena didn't intend to but she revealed a small smile.
"Why is she going to Athens?" Xena asked, her cold demeanor was thawing but very slowly. Gabrielle was very uncomfortable with that question which Xena noticed. Gabrielle looked up as if trying to remember. However, she was actually trying to construct a safe story. She again scolded herself for not spending more time thinking about a good story. She WAS a bard after all. No use wasting energy on what she should have or could have done, she concluded.
"She mentioned she was looking...or...investigating something. She didn't say much about her trip." Gabrielle couldn't tell if Xena was buying this or not. "Of course, I was more interested in news of the family. I guess I really didn't give her a chance to tell me about her trip. I'm sorry I don't have more information for you." Gabrielle sighed, that last statement was the truth. Xena heard all the words of this young man. They all sounded right but there was still something odd. Something wrong.
"She told you of family news?" Xena asked, probing for more information. Gabrielle felt more relaxed as she could handle that question.
"Yes! Lilla and Sara and the siege at Walsas! And we all thought Sara was dead!" Gabrielle was able to convey true enthusiasm. Xena's cold demeanor warmed up a bit more. Gabrielle smiled, believing she had gotten through the worst of the storm. However, Xena still felt suspicious of Gabriel. Gabrielle was not one to keep quiet about anything, especially her family.
Esther's breakfast was delicious but strained. With occasional questions about Gabriel's visit with Gabrielle, Xena kept eyeing the young man. This annoyed Esther, who kept looking at Xena. Esther's father smiled, laughing to himself. The problems of the young, he mused. There WAS more than meets the eye about this Gabe, he thought. Esther's younger brother, Harral, feasted oblivious to the undercurrents at the table.
"Boy Esther, we'll all get really fat if you keep making meals this big." He asked. Esther sank in her chair and Xena held back a grin. For some reason, Xena was glad Harral was there to annoy his sister. Although, her own presence seemed to annoy Esther quite a bit as well, Xena noted. Gabrielle felt bad for Esther but elected to remain as quiet as possible.
The strained meal was quickly interrupted by the two Sunmoon guards who attacked Xena the night before. Esther's father excused himself from the table to meet the guards. They asked for his guest, as he expected.
"Gabriel, these men would like a word with you." He called back to the table. Gabrielle glanced over to Xena before getting up to meet the guards.
"Hello again." Gabrielle smiled determined to convince them she had no problems. The guards looked over Xena's way. Gabrielle also looked over to Xena not sure what she would do if Xena wanted to "engage" them. Xena simply smiled and waved back at them. Gabrielle sighed with relief that Xena was going to play the part and let her handle this.
"Well I guess everything is OK here. We just wanted to make sure." The other Sunmoon spotted the corner where Xena's weapons were.
"Quite an arsenal. Are you sure you want these lying around with the young one here?" He looked at Harral who was still eating. Xena's attention was drawn to the Sunmoon's hand gripping the hilt of his sword.
"You have a good point. I will take care of them. The young should not be exposed to such things." Gabrielle spoke guessing he would not let the point about the weapons drop.
"Before you go" Gabrielle quickly continued, though they had not started to leave yet. "I was wondering when your next ceremony was. I was told that those interested in seeing the Sunmoon services for themselves could come by as a guest. I don't know if you know Leo or Portus..." Gabrielle dropped the names of the only two Sunmoon she formally met.
"Brother Leo? Sure. He is the Grandson of the founder. He is coming into town in a day or two for our next ceremony. I am sure he would want to invite you himself. Gabriel is it?" The Sunmoon seemed more pleasant.
"That's the name I was given." Gabrielle responded. After they left, Esther's father was annoyed.
"What are you doing? I thought you were concerned about them! Here you are going to join their ranks?" Xena was quickly beside Gabrielle, watching the Sunmoon leave.
"Inside information. That will be very helpful if we plan on stopping them." Xena responded looking at the young man. He saved Esther and seemed to be willing to go against the Sunmoon. Xena's suspicions of him diminished - slightly. This cousin of Gabrielle's was doing what Gabrielle would do if she could. There was STILL something wrong, Xena thought.
"It sounds too dangerous. What if they find out you are there to spy." Esther interjected.
"I'm sure his silver tongue will keep him out of trouble." Esther's father responded, pleased the young man was not really interested in becoming a Sunmoon brother.
"Or perhaps get him into more trouble...." Xena added. Gabrielle wondered if Xena meant with the Sunmoon, Esther or Xena herself.
"I'm going for a walk, Harral...you going to eat all day or come with me?" Gabrielle announced. She was tired and needed a break from questions. Harral nearly tripped getting out of his chair to join the young bard. "I thought we could talk about table manners and such..." Gabrielle looked at Esther's father for permission.
"Good luck."
Gabrielle had left the Inn to escape its confining walls and brought Harral with her. Having to watch every word around Xena and Esther was proving a tiring task even for the skilled bard. Gabrielle could feel Xena's constant eye on her. It was very different from her usually friendly eye. It was an eye of scrutiny, which closely observed everything Gabrielle did. Xena knew something was wrong and would find out eventually, Gabrielle concluded. If she could make it through the next couple of days and get to the temple in Athens, then she would be free from this problem. She thought about the time it would take her to get all the way to Athens and the time needed to get more useful information about the Sunmoon. "I WILL get there." She kept telling herself, very aware time was running out.
Spotting a woman struggling to unload a large box from a supply wagon Gabrielle rushed over just in time to prevent it from falling. Harral followed curiously, anxious to meet the type of woman his father cautioned him to stay away from. His father told him that just because a woman may appear beautiful, that didn't mean she was a good catch. Harral thought if attributes, as his sister called them, were a measure of beauty, this woman was gorgeous.
"Let me help you with that." Gabrielle and the surprised woman took the large box inside the Tavern and laid it down. The woman brushed the hair out of her face, eyeing Gabrielle. She was exhausted and still had much work to do before the Tavern opened. The bar tender stuck his head out of the door then went back into the tavern.
"Why doesn't he help you?" Gabrielle asked loud enough for the Bar Tender to hear. The woman looked over her shoulder at him.
"Bad Back...or so he says." The auburn haired woman responded. Gabrielle shook her head.
"Look, I'm really busy and I don't have time for whatever you are looking...for..." She was suspicious of Gabrielle's intentions until Gabrielle went to the wagon and handed her a box and grabbed another herself. "You're helping?" Her mouth drops. Gabrielle smiles at the reaction.
"I guess your not use to getting help." Gabrielle responded as she placed a box on the bar.
"Most of the men I know run when it comes to hard work." She responded looking over at the bar tender.
"Then you don't know the right men." Gabrielle responded also looking over at the bar tender, who ignores the two. The woman grins. It's been a while since a man treated her this nicely, she thought.
Harral sees them come outside to the wagon again and jumps to help. The woman, a little crestfallen, manages a warm smile at the boy.
"I see your son is also good mannered." Gabrielle eyes Harral, catching him peering mischievously into a box of treats.
"Harral is just a...CURIOUS friend." Harral catches the glare and wisely decides against sampling.
At the Inn, Xena was bored. She did not like waiting in a strange Inn under these strange circumstances. Gabriel seemed to want to avoid her questions about Gabrielle. Xena wondered when she was going to discuss with him their strategy in questioning the Sunmoon. He couldn't avoid her forever, she thought. She could wait. Although, she would have preferred to wait alone, outside of town. However, under the current circumstances with the Sunmoon, it was prudent to wait in the Inn. So she sat, with a view of the front door and Esther's occasional cold stares. The sitting did not last long. Xena retrieved her sword from the corner and started sharpening it.
With each stroke of the sharpening stone against Xena's blade, Esther's irritation grew. Finally, unable to take the noise any longer, Esther marched over to Xena and stood in front of her.
"Would you PLEASE stop doing that." Esther said deliberately punctuating each word after 'please'. Xena looked up and raised an eyebrow. Taking a long breath and slowly exhaling, she finally stood up and looked Esther in the eye. Xena looked down to her blade then coldly back to Esther who realized there was still a warrior in that dress.
"All right." Xena said slowly.
"Thank you" Esther spoke weakly.
Placing her sword in its sheath, Xena returned it to the corner of the room. She looked over to the fire place mantle where Gabrielle's staff rested and sighed. After a moment she picked up the staff, almost caressing it. Why didn't you leave me a message at least, she thought to herself.
"She's lucky to have a friend who cares so much." Esther couldn't help but see the concern on Xena's face. Xena didn't like showing weakness to anyone, even Gabrielle. Avoiding a discussion she didn't want to have with this woman, she placed the staff back down on the mantle and retrieved something from her saddle bag.
"Esther, you wouldn't happen to know what this is?" She pulled out Gabrielle's mystery object. Esther looked at it curiously.
"Ah...No...Maybe Father knows..." Esther smiled and shrugged. Worth a shot, Xena thought.
"So, you're NOT married?" The barmaid asked with a bright tone. She, not so discretely, takes stock of the young man before her. Gabrielle found it amazing the two women she recently met were so preoccupied with her marital status.
"I'm not married" She responded wondering she had ever made any man feel this uncomfortable by asking him about his marital status. Gabrielle was determined not to let herself feel awkward. Trying to turn the tables on her, she looked the pretty woman in the eye.
"But don't you think we should know each other's names before we talk about marriage?" The comment worked, Gabrielle thought, seeing the woman a little embarrassed. "I'm Rachel, the head barmaid at this fine establishment. Not too many men take the time or care to learn my name." She said honestly holding her hand out. Gabrielle felt bad for this woman as she shook her hand.
"Like I said, you don't know the right men. I'm Gab..eh..Gabriel." Gabrielle corrected herself, annoyed she was not able to get use to the name.
"I'm pleased to meet you Rachel." She said with genuine pleasure that Rachel could sense. The bar tender yelled out for Rachel to hurry up with the unloading and help clean up inside. Rachel nodded and ending their discussion.
"Gabriel, thanks for the help. I hope you'll let me repay you sometime." She looks at Gabrielle suggestively.
"Why does she keep doing that? And what exactly does she see?" Gabrielle wondered, having quickly lost her feeling of comfort and control of the conversation. Hermes, you are NOT funny, she thought to herself, having no other explanation for the woman's overtly forward behavior.
"Ah, that's not necessary. Ah, Bye." Gabrielle responded nervously.
Her embarrassment grew as she noticed Harral staring rudely at this woman's attributes. Rachel laughed, used to the attention. Though, she was surprised that Gabriel wasn't openly interested like the young boy.
"Harral! You and I are going to have another little talk about manners..." Gabrielle snapped at him then turned red faced to Rachel. "we've got to get back...ah, See you later." Gabrielle smiled weakly as they started to leave.
"I certainly hope so....Gabriel." She purred and waived with her finger tips.
As they left, Gabrielle felt great relief THAT was over. This predatory nature of the women she had recently met was disconcerting. Gabrielle made the mistake of looking back at Rachel who continued to watch her leave. To avoid being rude, Gabrielle smiled and weakly waived. Rachel grinned seeing the effect she finally had on this young man and blew a kiss. Unfortunately for Gabrielle, her attention was not on the ground before her. A conspicuous stone placed in the middle of Gabrielle's path caused her to trip. The embarrassment did not end, as Gabrielle, fell will the least grace imaginable, directly into a mud puddle.
Outside the Great Hall, Boean was greeted by two armed Sunmoon.
"Brother Boean, we've got good news for you." Boean smiled. "Brother Lerus's men are ready?" He asked. They frowned.
"Why not?" Boean snapped.
"Some weapons are still needed and they were waiting for your speech that you promised." One man spoke up.
"Oh, right." Boean remembered the promise. "After they get the weap ns and I talk to the men, then how long until they get to their positions?" He asked.
"About 1 day on foot." Boean nodded. "So what's your good news?" He asked.
"Leo is coming!" They were always happy to see brother Leo. Boean sighed.
"Wonderful" He said forcing enthusiasm. This could complicate his plans, he sighed.
Harral and Gabrielle returned to the Inn.
"Gabriel fell in the mud!" Harral ran in ahead to gleefully announce to everyone. Harral was going to offer more information but stopped seeing Gabriel's cold stare. "I think I hear father calling" Harral ran out of the room. Esther came out of the kitchen with a grin and a plate of hot nutbread.
"Nutbread!" Gabrielle reached out for a piece.
"Not until you clean up." She slapped Gabrielle's hand. Gabrielle frowned.
"Nothing a little soap and elbow grease can't handle. Go upstairs and wash up. I'll be up to get your laundry shortly." Esther was definitely in her element. Gabrielle silently stood there looking perplexed. "You need clean clothes." Esther guessed correctly. With great efficiency and speed, Esther retrieved a tunic. "This should do nicely." She held it up to Gabrielle.
"I guess.." Gabrielle responded, looking down at it. Esther motioned for Gabrielle to get going. Gabrielle looked at Xena.
"I think you should listen to her." Xena responded, thinking that this obsession with nutbread must be a family thing. With the promise of warm nutbread downstairs, Gabrielle washed up very quickly and changed into the tunic. Esther knocked and entered the room without waiting for Gabrielle to invite her in. Gabrielle wondered if she could get a lock on that door.
"The tunic looks good on you." She commented as she tightened the sash on Gabrielle. "I knew it would." She smiled. Gabrielle stepped back keeping a more comfortable distance between the two.
"Do you really think it's a good idea to join the Sunmoon?" Esther spoke what was on her mind. "It sounds dangerous." She grabbed the muddy clothes.
"The Sunmoon are becoming dangerous Esther. It is something I need to do." Gabrielle walked out of the room with Esther following.
"Why?" Esther asked as they descended the steps. Xena could hear their conversation now and quietly listened.
"If these men take up arms against the Amazons. There is a good chance there numbers will be so great that they will be successful in destroying them" Gabrielle spoke with passion.
"Why do you care so much about a group of women like that?" Esther really didn't understand.
"Esther, I do. Isn't that enough?" Gabrielle snapped at her. Esther realized she had stepped over the line questioning the bard's reason for caring about someone.
"I'm sorry Gabriel. Don't be mad." Gabrielle sighed stopping on the steps to explain.
"This hatred the Sunmoon have for the Amazons, it's like a disease Esther. If they are successful against the Amazons, who will be their next target? Centaurs? Then, if they succeed in destroying the Centaurs, who's next? Everyone they consider different? Women rulers? Well, I don't feel too comfortable with an army that would destroy someone because they don't measure up to THEIR definition of normal." Harral stood at the bottom of the steps.
"Why don't you just get your own army and crush them?" Gabrielle looked down at the young boy waiving a branch around like a sword. She closed her eyes in frustration 'Doesn't anyone understand?' She thought.
"Because there may be a better way." Xena answered, picking the branch out of the boy's hands but gently brushing his hair with her other hand. "We at least have to try, to see if there IS one." Xena looked at Gabriel with respect. He had been able to move her with his words. She thought only Gabrielle had that ability. "Xena understands" Gabrielle thought, looking down to her friend who had no idea how much her words helped the bard.
"NOW can I have that nutbread?" Gabrielle asked Esther with a smile.