Chapter 16

"Hyah!"

Xena's cry spurred Argo faster, the horse's gait much steadier now that they were on the dirt road. The warrior hadn't pushed her horse this fast, this far, in a long while. Eponin's mare was having a hard time keeping up, but Xena didn't dare slow the pace. She could sense it now, an ominous feeling of foreboding. She seemed to feel a lot now…since whoever had control of her mind and her dreams had been temporarily defeated.

Well, maybe not defeated…slowed down, she thought.

Xena knew one thing for sure. She and Gabrielle amassed quite a few enemies over the seasons, both mortal and God. Whichever one of them was responsible for the death of her child, and any harm that might come to her wife, they weren't about to give up after failing with her.

Gods, Brie…what have they done to you? My heart…what have I done to you?

Xena had plenty of time to curse and berate herself. She cut the day long journey in half, but that still left plenty of time in which to go over the things that she would have done differently, the things she said to Gabrielle that she would like to take back. She scolded herself nonstop, not allowing her common sense to kick in and explain to her obstinate brain that she'd been under another's influence. That would never do for the Warrior Princess. She was an expert at accepting guilt, and when it came to Gabrielle, Xena already felt as if she failed her wife in some way. She should have done more, been stronger…smarter.

The sun was midway in the sky by the time they reached Amazon territory. Eponin and Xena fairly flew by the stunned sentries, who didn't know who they were at first. It was only Eponin cries of; "The Queen's in danger!" which saved them from a volley of arrows shot their way.

Ephiny was out of her hut by the time Xena and Eponin skidded to a halt in the middle of the Village.

"What's wrong?" Ephiny said to Xena's back. The warrior jumped off Argo and was already on her way to the home she and Gabrielle shared.

"Xena says that Gabrielle's in trouble," Eponin answered.

"What?" Ephiny responded, obviously confused.

Xena raced back to where Ephiny stood, fear apparent in the dark-haired warrior's facial features.

"Where's Gabrielle," Xena asked breathlessly.

"Where's Gabrielle?" Ephiny echoed. "Well, she's with…" Ephiny looked between Eponin and Xena. "…she's not with you?"

"With us?" Xena was trying hard to control her emotions. "I left Gabrielle here in the Village a week ago. What's going on, Eph?"

"Gabrielle left the day after you did," the Regent explained to a stunned Consort. "She went to be with you on the hunt."

"Well she never made it," Xena's jaw tightened. "What did she say, exactly?"

"Well, I never talked to her directly," the Regent's eyes began to take on a concerned look. "She left me a scroll, saying she changed her mind and that she needed to be with you. I didn't worry since Callas and Lara, two of the Royal Guard, went with her."

Eponin looked at Xena, the Consort turning her face away for a moment to rein in her anger.

"Eph, Callas and Lara weren't guarding the Queen this week. They were supposed to head up to our campsite the day after we left to bring the rest of the supplies," Eponin said softly.

"Oh no," Ephiny breathed out, finally realizing the possibilities. "Gabrielle was in such a fragile state of mind…I should have questioned her decision, I--"

"You let your Queen just stroll out of the protection of the Village!" Xena turned angry eyes toward the Amazon. "Hades balls! Do you mean to tell me that not one of her Guard, not one sentry even knew it?!" the warrior shouted.

"It's not like Gabrielle hasn't been trained as an Amazon and a warrior, she's certainly skilled enough to--," Ephiny began.

"And who taught her how to be a bad ass Amazon?" Xena interrupted.

"Who taught her how to be a warrior?!" the Regent shot back.

The two women took a step toward one another.

"Okay, okay," Eponin stepped directly in between both warriors. "Laying blame and arguing about who did what is not helping us here."

"That's right," Xena agreed, still glaring at Ephiny. "We need to question everyone, see if anyone knows anything, try to narrow down whether Gabrielle was abducted or left of her own will."

"Yes, your Highness," Ephiny answered.

Xena raised an eyebrow. There was no animosity in the Regent's voice, but Xena couldn't understand Ephiny agreeing with her. They were usually always at odds when it came to Gabrielle.

"Okay, what's going on? Are you patronizing me or working with me?" Xena asked suspiciously.

"Xena, I acknowledge that the fault lies with me over Gabrielle's disappearance, I accept the consequences that should befall me over this. With your permission, I'll begin by questioning the members of the Royal Guard?"

Xena was completely nonplussed by the Regent's demeanor. She could only nod and watch Ephiny turn and stiffly walk away.

"What the hell was that?" Xena looked at Eponin.

The Amazon shifted her weight from foot to foot. "Xena, Ephiny is the Queen's Regent…she serves only when the Queen assigns her that duty upon leaving the village. When something happens to the Queen, however, the throne becomes the responsibility of her heir."

"Gabrielle doesn't have an heir, you know that."

"Right…that means that you're the acting Queen, until Gabrielle is found, at least. Eph is having an attack of the guilts; you know she thinks of Gabrielle as a kid sister. Plus, she knows that you outrank her."

"Oh, swell!" Xena exclaimed. "All right, you don't have to look at me that way, I'll talk to her…later. Right now, I want to see what Adia has to say. She was supposed to spend some time with Gabrielle. Can you start questioning people, anyone who might have seen anything unusual after we left?"

"Sure thing, Xena," Eponin didn't have to ask twice. The next time Xena saw the Amazon; she was in front of the food hut, questioning the cooks. Xena wanted to smile, despite the circumstances. Knowing Gabrielle, Eponin was trying to start in the most likely place.

Xena didn't have to go far. By the time she was making her way to the edge of the Village, and the Healer's hut, she spied Adia coming toward her.

"Xena, I'm so sorry, I should have known," were the first words out of the Healer's mouth.

"It's okay, Adia…I've been saying that a lot lately."

**********

"Anything you can tell me will help," Xena said to the Healer.

The two women moved off into the forest. All of Xena's instincts screamed inside her to just jump on Argo and take off after her wife. This time her sensibilities won. What direction would she go? Did Gabrielle leave of her own will or was she kidnapped?

The warrior forced herself to relax and think. She needed to ask these questions of Adia and the others before starting out impulsively. She took the time and she and Adia stopped along the stream to talk. Xena explained what she and Sartori already discovered regarding a mind manipulation and the sleeping draught that broke the psychic link.

"We only talked the day you left. She was so despondent. You were there; you saw the nightmares she was having. Gods, I can't believe I never though about Godly intervention…I knew this wasn't like Gabrielle, well not entirely anyway."

What's that supposed to mean?"

"When you and I were in Gabrielle's dreamscape, remember?" Adia prompted and Xena nodded her head. "After I talked to Gabrielle the last time, I finally figured out why she was unable to end her dream. Now, with what you're telling me about someone manipulating her thoughts and dreams, it makes sense. If Gabrielle felt the same way about losing her child as you did, if she was able to come to terms with it a little better, the herbs I gave her for the dream quest would have broken the mental link, just as the tea you drank did."

"That's right. Why didn't it?"

Adia looked uncomfortable at the warrior's inquiry. "Xena, you know I wouldn't tell you this unless I thought a lot rode on the outcome."

"Adia," Xena laid a gentle hand on the Healer's arm. "I would never ask you to discuss what you and Gabrielle spoke of, but this could be my wife's life we're talking about."

Adia nodded silently. "Gabrielle couldn't break free of the mind link for the same reason a person can't change anything about their dreamscape if any part of it appeals to them."

"Are you trying to tell me Gabrielle did hurt our baby?" Xena asked haltingly.

"No, absolutely not. As a Healer, I would say that Gabrielle did nothing to harm your child, Xena. No, what appealed to Gabrielle, on an unconscious level was the guilt. She truly thought she was guilty, aside from the thoughts that were being put into her head and her dreams."

"I don't understand."

"After you left, Gabrielle confided that she didn't follow all the directions on inactivity that Tori and you must have given her. She was absolutely certain that it was one of those incidents that did harm to the baby."

"That's ridiculous, Brie knows better than that," Xena furrowed her brow, attempting to remember the times she scolded her wife for any heavy lifting.

"You and I both know that doing a few things that are bad for you couldn't possibly be the cause of delivering a stillborn baby. Has Gabrielle ever been around babies or pregnant women? I know we treated her like she was glass, but that's simply because she's the Queen."

"No, she's never been around enough pregnant women to know that most of us have our babies, and then go back out into battle," Xena whispered to herself. "I took her away from her village before she had a chance for that."

"Look, there isn't time for you to take on anymore guilt, my friend," Adia replied sharply. "We're all responsible for putting our Queen on that pedestal, all right? I'm just trying to tell you that Gabrielle did nothing to harm your baby, but she believes she did. It's her belief in her guilt that won't let her out of the mind link completely, even with sedation. Even if we can manage to break the connection, a part of her still believes this as truth and I'm afraid of what it might eventually cause her to do."

Adia saw the fear light up in Xena's eyes.

"I'm not trying to frighten the wits out of you, Xena. I'm just trying to tell you that until Gabrielle resolves this in her own mind, it may affect her decisions, especially about protecting herself. She may get the very misplaced notion that giving her life to save someone else's would atone for what she perceives as her sin. Plus, I don't think Gabrielle was abducted. My gut feeling is that she left. In her mind, she was probably sparing everyone from having to live with someone so unworthy of life."

"I think I agree with you," Xena said, rising quickly from her seated position atop the rocks. "I'm going back to the Village. I need to see what Ep and Ephiny found out. If this is what we suspect," Xena said as she and the Healer began to jog back in the direction of the Village, "then I need to figure out where she would go first and take off in a hurry."

Xena went back to the house she and Gabrielle shared to find Ephiny already there.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude…I thought maybe I could get an idea about--"

"Eph, I'm sorry too. You know how I get when it comes to Gabrielle. I was wrong back there, I shouldn't have jumped all over you."

"I'm sorry, too, Xena. I guess I felt more than a little guilty for letting Gabrielle down…for letting you down."

"I think we're all riding the guilt trip wagon right about now, Eph, no one more than me."

Xena explained what she and Adia spoke of and her suspicions about Gabrielle leaving on her own.

"I think that makes sense. She certainly didn't take anything with her, not even her staff," Ephiny commented.

Xena looked carefully through the small house. Gabrielle's clothes were neatly stacked in a chest at the foot of the bed. The only articles of clothing missing were her hunting clothes. Her scrolls were neatly stacked in a straw chest beside the Queen's desk, her staff leaning beside the door where it always stood. Xena opened the small wooden box that Gabrielle kept the small pieces of jewelry she owned. The warrior fingered the Queen's Amazon necklace, strung with a variety of beads and feathers. There were some hair combs and bracelets, most all of them gifts that Xena purchased for her bard over the seasons. Xena was glad about not seeing the ring from Apollo and the pendant the warrior fashioned for Gabrielle. Xena unconsciously toyed with her own necklace, thankful her wife still wanted to keep that item with her.

Ephiny watched as Xena stood in the middle of the room, attempting to gather just one additional bit of information to go on. The warrior noticed something unusual in the fireplace and crossed the room to get a better look. Stooping down, she retrieved what her eyes had spied out. Lying in the unused fireplace were long lengths of Gabrielle's golden hair. Tears spilled from Xena's eyes at the thought of her beloved wife, so downhearted and unhappy that she would run away, hide from those who loved and cared for her most.

Xena stood up and turned around to face Ephiny, not bothering to hide the tears on her face.

"She's run away," Xena said brokenly. "I think she's trying to change who she is so I won't be able to find her."

"Then that just shows how much she needs you…needs all of us, Xena," Ephiny reminded the warrior.

"Let's go," Xena suddenly said, moving to leave the hut, but not before she grabbed a piece of cloth and wrapped the golden hair in it, carefully storing it in a chest of her belongings.

"Me, Ep and half a dozen others, no more," Xena said as she re-saddled Argo. One of the stable girls had taken care of the beautiful mare as soon as the warrior let go of the animal's reins. "Any more than that and we'll just slow down," Xena explained to Ephiny.

"Perhaps we should send scouts to Amphipolis or Potidaea," Ephiny suggested.

"Not a bad idea, just in case," Xena continued to settle Argo's saddle in place, cinching it around the mare's belly. "I don't think we're likely to find her in either of those places, though. She's dressed different, has cut her hair, and the only weapons I see missing are the sais Adia gave her. She's trying to hide out, or at the very least, not be recognized for who she is. I think home is the first place she'd think that I'd look and the last place she'd go."

"I'd like to go with, Xena," Ephiny said in a pleading tone.

"Eph, this has nothing to do with what went on earlier, but with Gabrielle and I both away, I need you to stay here. Besides, if something should happen to Brie and I…the Village will need you."

Ephiny walked alongside the warrior as she led Argo outside, into the center of the Village. They found Eponin waiting, having already chosen six of the best warriors the Amazons had to offer. Xena raised an eyebrow at the women gathered there, then stared at Eponin.

"Hey, what can I say, I know how you think," the weapons master grinned.

"Take care, may Artemis be with all of you," Ephiny said as the warriors mounted their horses. "Xena," Ephiny took the dark-haired woman's hand within her own. "She's out there on her own and she doesn't believe in herself. She left her staff and everything that marks her as an Amazon behind. That's a bad combination."

"I'll find her," Xena answered, spurring Argo out of the Village.

Ephiny's smile was genuine. It encouraged her heart to hear the confidence in Xena's voice. She knew that if Xena were determined to get Gabrielle back, the Gods themselves would be hard pressed to stop her.

**********

"Okay, let me get this straight," Gabrielle stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at the women who surrounded her. "I'm about to face down the Queen of the Gods and you're all just going to leave me on my own?"

The small blonde glared at the three women the mortal world knew as the Fates, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. They came to claim their sister, Bedilia, assuring Gabrielle this was a matter that affected her as well. Ella sat silently atop the wagon, watching in awe.

"Well, I have to say I'm not too thrilled with your timing," Gabrielle shook her head.

"We anticipate that Hera won't attempt anything until she realizes you've returned to the Amazon Village," Lachesis responded.

"Bedilia," Gabrielle looked to the old woman. "Do you see anything that can help me?"

"I'm afraid, my dear, that my powers are rather limited in this instance. Hera seems to be blocking me from her intentions, just as you have the ability to wall off your own thoughts from the Gods. I tend to agree with my sisters, however. I don't see Hera making any moves until she can get you and Xena together. You should prepare your people once you return."

"I think we need to tell her," Bedilia turned to her sisters.

All three women looked rather perturbed.

Perhaps you should…

Communicate with us…

Without involving the mortals.

"That seems rude, doesn't it?" Bedilia answered her sisters.

Atropos shook her head from side to side. "You have been too long among them, Bedilia."

The old woman chuckled. "And you, my sisters, have been too long with only yourselves as company. I say this as a compliment my sisters. What you have initiated for the Queen and her Consort…it is the most human thing you have ever done."

The Fates were left speechless by their sister's words. It hadn't seemed exceptionally noble of them, only the repayment of a debt. They admitted there were underlying motives. The death of Xena and Gabrielle's baby was not a part of the child's fate. The sisters were determined to fight against a force that had the power to go against the will of the Fates. There was also the matter of the way the threads of life ran together. The young Amazon Queen's thread was a perfect example of the way one life force could affect so many others. The child known as Brianna was to have that affect on others. Her thread would touch many as it wove its way along a path meant only for her.

"I do hate to interrupt, especially since I think I'm only getting part of this conversation, but what is it I need to be told?" Gabrielle questioned Bedilia.

The three Fates nodded and Bedilia spoke. "It seems, Gabrielle, that my sisters have found your father."

"Father?" Gabrielle took a step forward, her demeanor instantly changing. Suddenly the young woman turned from hardened warrior, to her father's daughter.

"It appears as if Hera is responsible for Apollo's absence," Bedilia answered. "Something we suspected all along.

"He is alive, Gabrielle, but Hera's intention is to kill him," Lachesis spoke aloud to the Queen. "We need Bedilia's power to assist in acquiring Apollo's freedom."

"My ring," Gabrielle held out her hand to the women. "My father gave me this ring to call him when I needed him. Perhaps if I used it?"

"It would do no good, my dear," Bedilia answered. "Apollo is surrounded by a spell with considerable age and strength to it."

"Can you reverse it?" Gabrielle asked, concern evident in her gaze.

"It was I who created it for Apollo, long ago to protect the Elixir of Life. If I can find a way to slip past Hera's defenses, I'm confident that I can. Gods are curious beings Gabrielle and sometimes assistance can come from the unlikeliest of sources," Bedilia smiled mysteriously.

The young Queen knew better than to question the oracle further. Gabrielle moved forward to hug the old woman. "Thank you. Now what are you still doing here…go on, get out of here," she said with a smile.

**********

Two days passed before Gabrielle and Ella were back near Pella. Tai was more excited than ever, constantly asking for stories about the Amazon Village where they would live. The two adults talked about everything under the sun. Gabrielle found that having someone who had no preconceived notions about her past made for an easy person to talk to. She shared a number of her fears over the situation at hand, even surprising herself by revealing her parentage to a very stunned Ella. The slender, dark-haired woman seemed to take it all in stride, however.

"Thank you, Gabrielle," Ella said, breaking the silence of the morning.

"You're welcome. For what?" Gabrielle grinned.

Ella chuckled slightly. Gabrielle seemed much less like a warrior now. The blonde's smile shone through brighter and the haunting look of pain in her eyes was greatly diminished. She seemed more content, even relaxed. Ella had to wonder at the strength and courage one would have to possess to do what this young Queen was doing. She was saddled with a woman and her two children, possibly riding right into the middle of a fight with the Queen of the Gods. The dark-haired woman could do no more than smile.

"Thank you for everything. I feel like my life has changed so much since I met you. I prayed at night that no matter what would happen to me, as long as my girls grew up safe and healthy, and happy, I would be thankful. I feel like you're a part of that somehow. Offering us a place in your Village and with your people…I think it may make all the difference in their lives," she indicated the two children in the back of the wagon.

"That's what friends do for each other, Ella," Gabrielle replied.

"Oh, lovely!" Ella stared straight ahead, pulling the wagon to a halt.

Gabrielle followed her friend's gaze to the bridge that crossed the Teshian River. The wooden structure was in a state that was beyond repair. It looked like a lightning bolt had literally come from the sky and destroyed half the bridge.

"Lovely is right! It'll take us at least another two days to follow the valley and go around. I've never been that way. I'm not even sure I can get us there from here."

"Gabrielle, the riverbed looks as dry as stone. Could we try crossing down there?" Ella pointed down the steep bank.

The Queen looked down into the riverbed. The hot, dry summer took its toll on many of the creeks and rivers, this one being no exception. "It looks a little steep, but I think we might be able to handle it if we empty out the wagon a bit. It doesn't look too bad on the other side. See that sandy bank over there?" Gabrielle raised her hand and Ella followed the direction the blonde pointed. "If we can steer for that area of the bank, I think we'll be okay."

The first step was to relieve the wagon of excess weight. By the time they sat Tai to watch her sister and unloaded the heaviest items from the wagon, Gabrielle actually began to believe they could succeed.

"You stay up here with the girls and I'll drive the wagon," Gabrielle said, preparing to climb into the farm cart.

"Gabrielle, that doesn't make much sense. I'm the one who's spent all my life driving these things. How long has it been since you drove a wagon? Besides, I can't ride Lightning, you'd have to walk back again to get her."

"Point taken," Gabrielle admitted grudgingly. "Okay, you get the wagon across, then once you're safe on the other side, I'll bring Tai and Emery with me on Lightning."

"Okay…let's do it," Ella said happily.

Ella was stronger than Gabrielle gave her credit for being. The dark-haired woman leaned backward; tendons in her arms standing out in an effort to guide the wagon safely down the steep slope. The wagon tilted precariously on its way down the steep embankment, but Ella kept a firm hand on the reins. Finally, she reached the bottom of the dry riverbed and began to cross the wide river.

"It's not as dry as we though…kind of muddy," Ella shouted back, "but I should be okay if the wagon keeps rolling."

Gabrielle watched as the wagon began to slow down, eventually the wagon became mired altogether. "Dry as stone, huh?" she shouted out to her friend."

The Queen saw the wagon was slowly sinking, not by much, but enough. It was settling into the mud of the riverbed and suddenly Gabrielle was concerned. She moved the basket Emery slept in so that it was protected by some bushes.

"Tai, you stay here and watch Emery, okay? I have to take Lightning out there and help your mom. Can you sit here and do that for me?"

"'Kay, Bri," the child stood beside her sleeping sister, pretending she was on guard duty.

Gabrielle coiled a piece of rope they unloaded from the wagon, jumped on Lightning, and let the horse feel his way across the mucky ground.

"The wagon's sinking!" she exclaimed, sliding from the stallion's back and immediately sinking up to her ankles in the soft dirt. "It's silt," she explained. "Like on the bottom of the Nile. It can be quite deep. We've got to get this thing moving or we'll lose it."

"Let me help," Ella moved to get off the wagon.

"No, you steer it out. I'm going to tie this rope to the front rig. Lightning should be strong enough to pull it if I help from down here."

The blonde had trouble getting her footing in the mud, but she tied off the rope, one end to the harness on the wagon, the other on Lightning's saddle.

"Okay, let's give it a try," Gabrielle positioned herself in front of the white stallion, holding his front halter. "Now!"

Ella snapped the reins against her mares back and felt the wagon ease from the mud a bit, but then it slowly slipped back down. They were trying to move slightly uphill so the grade wasn't helping them.

"Wait," Gabrielle shouted and eased back on her animals halter.

Gabrielle moved around to the back of the wagon. Only one of the wheels was buried further into the mud than the others. "Let's try it again. Lightning knows what to do and I'll see if my giving it a push from this end helps."

Gabrielle positioned herself at the back wheel. If she braced her foot against the outside of the wheel and pushed the wagon up as the horses where pulling, she thought it might work. Each time she set her foot, her muddy boots slipped through the spokes in the wagon. Eventually, she planted her foot, but raised her head when she heard a familiar sound.

"Do you hear that?" Gabrielle asked.

"Yes, faintly. It sounds like thunder, but from a long way off. Horses maybe?"

"Could be. We better do it this time…I don't get a good feeling about this," Gabrielle answered. "Okay, now!"

The wagon inched forward under the strain of both horses and Gabrielle pulled at the spokes of the wheel with her hands, pressing up with her back against the bottom of the wagon. Just as she felt the wooden vehicle begin to move forward, the sound of thunder filled her ears.

"Gabrielle!" Ella screamed as the small blonde looked up.

The thundering sound was accompanied by a wall of water rushing directly toward them. It happened so fast that by the time Gabrielle straightened her body up, the freezing cold water was rushing all around them.

Flash flood!

Gabrielle remembered Xena telling her once what could happen to a dry riverbed once it began raining in the mountains. By the time these thoughts filtered through her brain, the wagon was tipping over from the force of the water rushing around them.

"Ella!"

Gabrielle watched as the wagon came down on its side toward her. Ella leaned forward, a knife in her hand. She was slicing through the leather harness and ropes, in order to free the animals from the weight of the wagon.

"Ella let go!" Gabrielle shouted, holding onto the side of the wagon as the surge of pounding water sought to drive her down river.

Gabrielle's foot slipped through the spokes of the wheel and as the wagon tilted over further and further, the wheel sank into the mud more, imprisoning the young woman's ankle. With an additional surge of water, the wagon slipped again with a violent jerk, throwing Ella into the water, the rigging carried by the rush of water, falling on top of her.

"Ella!" Gabrielle screamed again, using her hands to pull on her own leg, trying to free her ankle from the wagon as it continued to slowly sink. She tugged once more and felt the ring her father gave her, slip from her finger. " No!" she cried out. All the weight she'd lost caused the ring to literally fall from her hand.

The dark head bobbed to the surface, gasping for air, the knife still in her hand. Ella clutched at the side of the wagon, but that merely caused the cart to move onto its side more and Gabrielle screamed as it bent her ankle along the way.

"I'm caught!" Ella shouted over the sound of the water. The dark-haired woman was struggling to stay afloat. The rigging that threatened to carry her away, tangled about her below the surface of the water. Each new rush of water dragged her below the surface, but her only purchase was on the side of the wagon. Ella's weight on the side of the wooden vehicle pulled it over, further into the water, pressing Gabrielle's trapped foot down into the mud. The water was now up to Gabrielle's chest, but when Ella's weight toppled the wagon over, it pushed the blonde head beneath the surface.

"Hang on, Ella!"

Gabrielle tried to push the wagon back against the water that continued to charge down river. It was impossible to get any leverage with the water knocking her off balance, aside from the fact that each time Ella took hold of the wagon; her weight pulled the vehicle over so that it pushed Gabrielle under the water.

It took some quick communication between two women to arrange things so each of them could stay above the surface of the water. Gabrielle bore the brunt of this arrangement, however. By pressing her shoulders and back to the wagon's side, she could keep it from toppling over and at the same time, Ella could hold on to bring her head above water.

Ella could see that Gabrielle was tiring. Their teeth chattered as they spoke, the freezing water swirling around them. The dark-haired woman shouted to Tai, the young girl standing crying on the riverbank. Ella called out to her daughter, trying to offer reassurances to the youngster. She knew, however, that if she and Gabrielle continued on this way, chances were slim that either of them would survive. Tears ran down the woman's cheeks realizing it would leave her girls alone and leagues from anyone who could help.

"Ella, don't worry, we'll get out of this," Gabrielle said as she watched her friend cry.

The blonde's back muscles were screaming at the effort of holding the wagon against the strength of the water. At the same time, the rest of Gabrielle's body was going numb from the ice-cold water. The wagon slipped a bit and the weight of the vehicle pushed Gabrielle into the water before she could regain her footing in the soft mud.

"Gabrielle," Ella called out.

"I'm okay…it's okay."

Gabrielle looked across at her friend, watching as Ella raised the knife she still held in her hands. With shaking fingers, the slender woman began slicing through the leather straps wrapped around her.

"Ella, what are you doing?!" Gabrielle cried out.

"Gabrielle, I have to."

"No, please don't give up…we can do this. Xena and I were in plenty of spots worse than this--"

"Gabrielle, this isn't going to get better, you and I both know that," Ella shouted back, continuing to cut through the rope wrapped around her leg. "If I cut myself free, I can let go of the wagon."

"You can't swim in this, Ella. The current's too strong!"

"I have to try, Gabrielle…please understand, one of us has to live."

"We will both live…I can do this!"

"Gabrielle, this isn't something you can fight your way out of. Promise me…"

"What?" Gabrielle asked in confusion.

"My girls…promise me, Gabrielle. Promise me you'll take care of my girls," Ella pleaded.

"Don't do this, Ella, please, don't do this…"

"Promise me! With you…no one else. All I want is for my children to be raised by someone who loves them." Ella pushed the cut leather straps from her body. "Please, Gabrielle."

"I promise…" Gabrielle said, her voice barely heard over the rushing water.

Ella wasted no time. She knew if she didn't do it right away, she'd lose her nerve. The dark-haired woman looked to the other side of the bank where her daughter stood. She knew she was doing the right thing. Something inside her understood all along that the young Amazon Queen would play a large part in her daughter's lives.

"Thank you, my friend," Ella said, releasing her grip on the side of the wagon.

"Noooo!" Gabrielle screamed, reaching out as far as her body would allow, trying to capture the slender woman.

Ella disappeared immediately beneath the swirling water, Gabrielle's screams of pain and frustration lost in the sound of roaring whitewater. It was only a matter of heartbeats, but to Gabrielle it felt like an eternity. She struggled to free her trapped foot from the spokes of the wheel, but the wagon held fast in the soft mud.

She watched as Tai ran back and forth, crying and calling out her mother's name. Suddenly the child ran off, Gabrielle shouting the youngster's name.

A horse's neigh caught her attention and she craned her neck to see Lightning on the other side of the river. The white stallion reared back on its hind legs, attempting to enter the fast moving water.

"No!" Gabrielle shouted, somehow sure that her mount understood her. "No, Stay back!"

The animal continued to paw at the ground, shaking his massive head back and forth. She searched the shore for signs of Tai, but the young girl was nowhere along the river's edge. The water continued to rise as the Queen realized that her friend's death would be for nothing unless Gabrielle could find a way to free herself.

Continued

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