Chapter XXVIII

Gabrielle was both happy and sad to see land again.  It had been a long journey and any excuse to be off a boat, even with the talisman she wore was excuse enough for her.  There were a lot of things to be said for stable earth and after months at sea Gabrielle was pretty sure most of them were good.

On the other hand, most of her life for the past few years had been lived in a pristine frontier environment, exploring places that few had seen and fewer still actually believed existed.  Coming back to civilization was a shock to her system.  There were crowds and noise and a smell that made her eyes water.

And the clothes....  Gabrielle couldn’t understand why mankind’s supposed advancements put women in harsher and more restrictive clothing than before.  What the women wore now made her peasant skirt and blouse look positively liberating.

However, Gabrielle continued to wear her trousers and tunics.  It was comfortable and no man, or woman for that matter, was going to dictate to her.  Not at this stage of her life.  She was able to take on any challenge of male authority and it was this that brought her to the attention of a pair of Spanish rulers.

The messenger halted in front of the tiny inn.  It had taken him nearly a month of frantic travel, chasing clues and whispers before finally stumbling across this place.  He hoped his information was correct this time.  He did not want to have to go back to his Queen and King and tell them he had failed.

The year of our Lord was fourteen hundred and ninety-one and Spain wanted to be a world leader in exploration.  Word had reached King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella that there was a woman with great courage and skill, who stood for herself and those who could not stand for themselves.  And they had decided they wanted to meet this crusader.  She was just the sort of brave soul Spain needed to lead its explorations into far away lands.

Finding this woman had been a daunting task, however.  She rarely remained in one place longer than a day and she moved like the wind – felt and appreciated, but always unseen.  The messenger couldn’t even get an accurate description of her.  She was short; she was tall.  She was blonde; she was red-headed.  She would kill with a look; she could slay with words; her talent with weapons was unmatched.

The man shook his head.  He sincerely doubted the reality of such an apparition, but it was not his place to make that decision.  It was his duty to find her and bring her back with him.  Then his rulers would decide if the paragon truly existed, or if she was simply the figment of some peasants’ overworked imaginations.

He never stopped to consider the different sources of his information and realize that their perceptions could all be correct.  It simply depended on interpretation.

He stepped into the darkened room, standing in the doorway a moment to let his eyes adjust.  The late afternoon sunlight highlighted him nicely and the room grew silent when they realized there was a royal messenger in their midst.

Lucius closed the door behind himself and strode to the bar.  “Good day, good sir,” he said to the barkeeper who carefully tended to his business while giving the stranger the once over.

He nodded politely.  “Greetings, sir.  What can I get for you?”

“Wine and a little information,” Luciua said, laying a gold piece on the bar.  The ‘keep eyed it a long moment before reaching for a fresh glass and filling it from the keg behind him.

“What sort of information?” asked with hesitation, knowing that some things couldn’t be bought and paid for so easily.

“I’m looking for a woman,” the messenger said, draining half his drink in a single gulp.

The barkeep snorted.  “’Fraid you’re in the wrong place for that sort of thing, friend.  This here is nothing more than an inn and tavern.  The brothel is down the way and over one street.”

“What?? Oh, no.  Not that kind of woman!  Holy Mary... my wife would kill me if she.... Um, no.  I am on official business.  I’ve been sent to find a particular woman and she was last seen in this area.  I’m hoping she’s still here.”

“This woman got a name?”

“I’m sure she does, though it’s never been told to me.  All I have is a somewhat unreliable description.”

The barkeep scratched his head, then he reached over and refilled Lucius’ mug.  “Sounds like you’ve got a problem then, friend.  I don’t see how you can find anyone without a name or reliable description.”

Lucius hung his head.  “I know.  But I really don’t want to go back to the King and Queen a failure.”  He scrubbed at his tired eyes and finished the rest of his ale.  “Will that get me a bed and bath tonight?” motioning to the coin that still lay on the bar between them.

“Bed, bath, dinner, breakfast and food for the road if you wish.”

Lucius nodded tiredly.  “I wish.  I am so tired right now....”

“Come,” the barkeep gestured, putting the coin in his pocket.  “This is the bathing room,” opening a door next to the kitchen.  “Once you’re done here, it’ll be dinner time.  Then I’ll have a room ready for you to sleep in.”

“Thanks,” Lucius replied, not bothering to dissimilate.  He was just thankful for the chance to sleep in a real bed.  Then he filled the tub with water, stripping and sinking into the warm depths with a feeling of complete relief.

Lucius felt like a new man when he emerged from the bathing room.  He crossed back into the tavern area with a slight wave at the barkeep and took a seat near the back of the room.  Night had fallen and Lucius quickly realized that the inn was extraordinarily busy.  The girl brought him a plate of dinner and another wine and Lucius sat back, giving thanks for his change of luck.  It had been a long time since he’d been this comfortable and he was thoroughly looking forward to getting back to the palace... even if he returned without the mysterious woman.  He had already come to the conclusion that he’d been sent of a fool’s errand and couldn’t wait to find out who it was that started the ridiculous rumors about this woman.

He pushed his plate back and pulled his ale forward, determined to enjoy his drink before he went upstairs to sleep.  To his surprise, the barkeep stepped up onto the makeshift stage in the front of the room and the crowd grew expectantly silent.  Lucius turned his attention there as well, curiosity overcoming his natural reserve.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Gabrielle.”

Lucius watched as a short, blondish red headed woman crossed the stage and took a seat on the stool the barkeep had placed there for her.  He watched mesmerized as she held the audience in the palm of her hand, capturing them with her looks and her words and her hands.  And he suddenly realized why the descriptions of the woman he was looking for changed from person to person.  It was all in perception... and he had finally found the woman of rumor.

When she was finished, Gabrielle came down into the audience to accept their compliments.  Lucius deliberately made sure he was the last to greet her and when she stopped at his table, the messenger dropped to one knee in front of Gabrielle.

The bard looked at him, startled.  “Um, sir, I should tell you that not only will I not marry you because I am quite taken, I have real issues with proposals before a first date.”

Lucius laughed heartily, caught completely off guard by Gabrielle’s distinct sense of humor.  He sat down on the floor cross legged and let his arms rest on his knees.  Gabrielle watched him amused as she sat down in the chair he had recently vacated and waited for him to come to his senses.

Finally Lucius laughed himself out and wiped the tears from his eyes.  “You speak the language like a native, though it is very clear you’re not.”

“LOTS of practice.”

Lucius chuckled again.  “I can see the King and Queen are going to adore you.  No wonder they’re so anxious to meet you.”

“Excuse me?”  Gabrielle wondered if her face showed the disbelief she felt.

“Beg pardon, mi’lady,” Lucius said as he rose and bowed, assuming the formality of his role.  “I bring greetings from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.  And a humble request for your presence at court.”

“Why?”

Now it was Lucius’ turn to be dumbfounded.  “Excuse me?”

“Why is my presence requested at court?  I don’t know anyone there.”  Gabrielle crossed her arms over her chest and waited patiently.

Lucius rubbed his eyes.  “I don’t know, Mi’lady.  I was just told to find you and extend the invitation.”

Gabrielle nodded her understanding.  “Do you have a room here?”  She waited for his affirmation.  “I’ll give you my answer in the morning.  Good night.”

Before Lucius could answer, Gabrielle was up the stairs and out of sight.

Well, that explains a lot, he thought with a shake of his head.  Then he moved to find the barkeep and get a key to his room.

Morning found Lucius waiting in the tavern for Gabrielle.  He was anxious to succeed in his mission and had been up with the dawn to be sure he didn’t miss her.  He had no way of knowing she had long been gone on her hunt before he arose and he watched with surprise as she emerged from the bathing room.  He wondered how long she’d been in there that he’d missed her going in, then he shrugged.

He couldn’t blame her for wanting to soak, especially if she was going to travel back with him.  The road was harsh and dirty and he understood well the need to get rid of the dirt.

He watched as she surveyed the room and only when she was satisfied that things were to her standard did she cross to his table.

“I’ll be sitting over there,” motioning to a back corner, “if you’d like to join me.”

Lucius picked up his plate and moved swiftly to set it on the table in order to seat her.  Gabrielle rolled her eyes, but allowed the courtesy.  She nodded at the table wench, who brought her a trencher and some ale.  Then Gabrielle waited until she was nearly halfway done with her food before she spoke again.

“Lucius, do you have a written invitation for me?”

The messenger nodded furiously, wiping his hands and digging through his small carry sack on his belt.  He pulled out the missive that was still sealed with the royal signet and passed it across the table to her.  Gabrielle popped the seal and read the note, then set it aside.

“Thank you Lucius.  You can return to the King and Queen and tell them I will be there within a month.  I have a few things to take care of first, but I will be there.”

“But...I thought....”

“I travel alone, Lucius.  I prefer it that way.  But I’ll be there.  I give you my word and I’ll give you a note to carry back with you, all right?” realizing the man was afraid of being punished for failure if she did not return with him.

Lucius nodded, glad Gabrielle understood where his fear was coming from.  He went to offer her paper and quill, astounded when she pulled out some of her own from what appeared to be a beautiful, custom-made leather case.  He wondered at the sad expression that crossed her face as she took a moment to caress it, then she quickly got down to business, writing a note and sealing it with an unknown sigil.

Lucius accepted the note, tucking it carefully into his belt pouch.  Then he finished his breakfast and without further adieu bid Gabrielle goodbye.  Lucius crossed himself as he crossed the threshold, hoping beyond hope that Gabrielle was true to her word.

Lucius arrived back at the palace in less than a fortnight and delivered the message Gabrielle had given him to the King and Queen.  They granted him mercy, dependant on Gabrielle’s appearance and he spent the remainder of the month doing menial chores around the palace.

As the end of the month rapidly approached, Lucius grew more and more nervous.  But he recognized the sound of redemption as a voice asking for admittance to the palace was heard in the forecourt of the castle.

Lucius dashed down the steps and escorted Gabrielle into the main audience chamber and performed the introductions with nary a quiver in his voice.  But he spent the rest of the day alternating between being sick and giving thanks.

“Come in.  Come in, Gabrielle,” Isabella beckoned.  “We’ve heard so much about you.  Please, welcome.  Come in and be comfortable.”

Gabrielle was a little overwhelmed.  She didn’t really understand the invitation and it had been a long time since she’d had to do the royal thing.  Still, she called upon her years of experience and her Amazon training, letting them serve her now in this unknown.

“Thank you, Queen Isabella,” she nodded graciously.  “I was caught somewhat unaware by the invitation.  I’m still not sure why I’m here.”

“We really have heard a lot about you, Gabrielle....”  King Ferdinand broke off a little confused.  “It is all right to call you Gabrielle, yes?  It was the only name Lucius gave us for you.  You can’t imagine the time the man had searching for someone with no name and the most varied descriptions and....”

Gabrielle interrupted him with a wave of her hand.  “Gabrielle is fine.”

“Good.  So we wanted to find out what all the talk was about... WHO all the talk was about.  And then well, we’ll just have to see how things go.  We might have a proposition or two.”

“I’m not sure I like the sound of that, quite frankly.”

Queen Isabella spoke.  “I promise you, Gabrielle.  You won’t have to do anything you don’t want to.  You are free to leave at any time. Though we do hope you will at least stay and break bread with us.”

Gabrielle agreed.  “I think I can do that much.  After that....”  She shrugged.  “We’ll see.”

Dinner was an interesting and enjoyable affair for Gabrielle.  The talk back and forth was of world affairs and she found that Ferdinand and Isabella would take opposite sides of an issue just to argue the logic points, then turn to her and ask for her opinion.  On several things she was able to bring out obscure facts to back up her position on a subject that would cause both monarchs to stop and think.

By mutual consent, Gabrielle remained with Ferdinand and Isabella.  It took several weeks before they broached the idea of her leading an expedition to found more Spanish colonies.  Gabrielle was quick to refuse.

“But why, Gabrielle?” Isabella asked honestly.  “You’re a perfect candidate.”

“There are several reasons, Isabella; some of them very personal to me.  Suffice it to say that it’s not my destiny.”

“You’re so sure?” Ferdinand questioned.

“Yep.  I sure am.  But I have heard a few rumors.”

Isabella leaned forward.  “Oh?  Do tell.”

“Well, it seems as though an Italian explorer named Columbus is looking for backing to go west to find a sea route to China and India.”

“Yes? And?”

“And my sources tell me that he’s been turned down by the Italian king.  It would be very easy to let him know his petition would be welcome here.”

“And do you think we should... welcome his petition, I mean?”

Gabrielle appeared thoughtful, pursing her lips slightly and stroking her chin.  Finally she signaled her tacit agreement.  “Yes, I do.  He seems to have the drive and the initiative and he has a firm theory in place.  I think he could be very successful.”

Ferdinand nodded sagely.  “This could be a very good thing for us, Bella.  Perhaps we should ask Gabrielle to put a bug in his ear, eh?”   

“I think it’s a good idea, Andy.”  The Queen turned to Gabrielle.  “Would you mind?”

Gabrielle smiled.  “You leave everything to me.  I’ll bring him here myself personally.”

Italy was much changed in the centuries since Gabrielle had last set foot on Roman soil.  Instead of the death and decay she remembered from the Roman Empire, there was a sense of renewal. 

So many things were different.  On street corners, vendors hawked books and pamphlets and everyone was reading.  It was so different from what had been that Gabrielle was able to ignore the stench of the city.  New ideas and philosophies ran rampant through the streets and Gabrielle breathed in the scent of renaissance with happiness. 

It took a little time, but eventually someone was able to point Gabrielle in the direction of Christopher Columbus.

Columbus was nothing like Gabrielle expected, though she’d tried not to build up expectations.  She knew how misleading impressions could be, but she’d been given enough descriptions that she fully believed Columbus to be a giant of a man with a brash personality. 

What she found was a man of middling stature who was soft-spoken and well-thought.  While she was somewhat amazed at his processes and conclusions, he was a thinking man and very ambitious.

He looked at her somewhat dubiously when she first approached him.  After all, she was a woman... and a woman who refused to bow to convention.  Still, what she had to say was interesting to the explorer, especially since she carried with her a royal missive inviting him to the court of the Spanish monarchs.

“Tell me, Gabrielle.  How did you hear of me?” Columbus asked as they walked towards his family villa.  The family was having a celebration in his honor and Mama had commanded that he bring the woman who had brought such opportunity to their doorstep to the party.  Gabrielle had tried to decline, but she knew better than most how hard it was to refuse Mama sometimes, remembering well Cyrene’s tenacity.

“It really wasn’t hard, Chris.  I have an interest in the scientific community and your theories are well espoused there.”

Columbus nodded.  He knew it to be true.  They were silent as they walked together a ways, then he cleared his throat to speak again.

“Do you find them to be valid theories?”

Gabrielle thought about the question for a few moments to formulate her answer.  “I do believe the earth is round,” she finally said, honestly.  “I’m not sure traveling west to get to the east will necessarily get you there, but I do think there are things out there waiting to be discovered.”

He watched her face carefully and realized that she truly did believe.  It made him smile.  So many didn’t, even in his own family.  It was nice to hear something positive for a change.

“Well, I hope King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella agree with your outlook, Gabrielle.  It’ll be nice to be able to prove my theories once and for all.”

“I think I can fairly say they will give you every opportunity to prove yourself, Chris.  What you do with the chance is strictly up to you.”

They were welcomed heartily by Columbus’ many family members.  Gabrielle soon found out that everyone who had any claim at all towards being counted as family had been invited and attended the gathering.  More times than she could count, she was introduced to this cousin or that in-law until she was sure her head would fall off from overload.

Finally, late in the evening, she found a quiet corner in the garden and simply sat absorbing the peace.

“Excuse me?”

Gabrielle let her eyes flutter open in the darkness.  She had sensed no malevolence, only a bit of curiosity, though she’d vainly hoped to be left alone.  She sighed quietly.

“Excuse me, miss?” came the soft voice again and this time she turned her head to see who it was.

“Can I help you?”

“Don’t think me too forward, but do you think I could possibly paint you?”

Gabrielle blinked, not sure she wanted to understand just what the man in front of her was asking.  Before she could open her mouth to answer, though, Columbus came into the garden looking for her.

“Oh, here you are.  Mama sent me to fetch you. It is time for our final toast and you simply must be there.”  He noticed the man still standing patiently to one side.  “Leo!  How‘ve you been?  I haven’t seen you in forever!”

Columbus turned back to Gabrielle.  “This is Leo, my second cousin, twice-removed on my mother’s side.  Leo, this is Gabrielle.”  He turned back to the bard.  “He’s a bit of an artist, something of a genius really.”

Gabrielle looked at the shy young man who was now blushing visibly in the moonlight.  “Really?  Well, once I get Columbus squared away with the King and Queen of Spain, perhaps you’d welcome me back to see your work?”

Leo nodded and Gabrielle smiled.  “Good.  I’ll look forward to it.”  Then they all went inside to toast Columbus’ proposed voyage.

Convincing Ferdinand and Isabella to back him wasn’t nearly as hard as Columbus presumed it would be.  Though they did want specific details involving his theories and plans, they were more than willing to mentor him once they were satisfied that he had indeed done his research. 

“Why were you so willing to hear me?” Columbus asked frankly when the negotiations were complete.  “The Italian monarch barely gave me the time of day before refusing to back me.”

Isabella shrugged gracefully.  “Gabrielle.  She convinced us you were the man we were looking for.”

“But she didn’t even know me,” he said perplexed.  “Have you known her so long that you trust her judgment implicitly?”

“Not really.  But she has given us every reason to trust her and like you, she did her homework.”  Isabella paused.  “She was actually our first choice.”

“She turned you down?”  A nod.  “Why?  This is a great honor.”

“It was not something she desired to do.  So she recommended you.  Count yourself lucky.”

“Guess this means she won’t captain a ship then, huh?”

“I’d say that was a good guess, Captain.  Go with God.”

“I will, your majesty.  And will come back with new trade for Spain.”

Gabrielle stayed in Spain near Isabella and Ferdinand during the months that Columbus was gone on his voyage.  She wasn’t comfortable remaining with them constantly, but she did keep in touch with them regularly.

She went through the countryside much as she had with Xena in their early travels together.  She met people and continued to reconnect with the bard side of her that had been dormant for too long.  Her skill at arms was seldom tested, once word of her defeat of Ferdinand and his best weapons master at court began to circulate throughout the countryside.

There were always incidents of course... people who did not believe the reputation that preceded her.  And always Gabrielle tried talking first and only then would she resort to violence.  And afterward she went off by herself for a bit to satisfy the bloodlust that burned so easily given the opportunity. 

But for the most part, Gabrielle had a peaceful repose and she welcomed the chance to talk to common people again.

Finally, months after Columbus had set sail for what he hoped was China and India, Lucius came searching for Gabrielle again.  This time, though, he knew whom he sought and he found her with all due haste.

At the sight of him, Gabrielle finished up her conversation with the merchants and moved to his side.  He smiled and bowed his head.

“Greetings, Gabrielle.  King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella have requested your presence will all expediency.  Columbus has returned and has had much to report.”

She accepted the horse he offered her and mounted with graceful ease.  “The report is good then, Lucius?”

“I believe so, yes.  He did not find India, but he found a new land that has been claimed in the name of Spain.  Looks like the King and Queen will have the new colony they sought after all.”

“Very interesting.”  Then they pushed the horses to a gallop and raced towards the castle.

Columbus was unhappy with his discovery, though it brought him some wealth and fame.  It had not been what he had sought and he felt compelled to return to sea again to continue to search for the route he was sure existed.

For their part, the Spanish monarchs were pleased with his find, as this would give them new territories to conquer and explore.  Gabrielle grew weary of the politics and soon made preparations to return to Italy.

“But why, Gabrielle?” Ferdinand asked.  “You’ve been so valuable to us.”

Gabrielle accepted the words with a nod.  “Perhaps,” she allowed.  “But there are other places I need to be now and I have to return to Italy to see Leo’s art.  I promised.”

“Leo?”

“A relative of Chris’s.  I met him when I went to find Chris to bring him here for you.”

Now the monarchs nodded in tandem, thinking they understood something they did not.  “Of course, Gabrielle.  Our apologies.  We never meant to keep you from your lover so long.  Go now, with our blessing.”

Gabrielle’s mouth hung open in shock from the assumption the king and queen had erroneously jumped to.  Then she shook her head in disbelief, not bothering to correct them.  It just wasn’t worth the argument or the justification.

“I don’t think Tony would appreciate having to share Leo that way,” she muttered to herself, remembering the big man’s protective fierceness of the artist and knowing the source of that protectiveness intimately.  The familiarity had made her heart ache all over again, even as it did now just remembering.

The trip to Italy was long and arduous as it was winter when she set out.  Gabrielle took her time though, appreciating the fury of nature as a beauty unto itself.  Still she was happy to see the spring rains take the place of the winter snows and even the stench of too much long unwashed humanity couldn’t remove the smile that the sunshine put on her face.

Gabrielle took the time to see what a difference a little knowledge made for so many people.  Again people were reading and discussing philosophy.  Painters were set up along the broad boulevard and it the distance, Gabrielle could clearly hear chamber music... both vocal and instrumental.

She found her way through the maze of streets and finally knocked on the door of the number she’d been given.  She’d only met him once, but he remembered her and with a smiling flourish, Tony opened the door widely and bowed.

“Welcome to our humble abode, Gabrielle.  We are delighted to have you here at last.”

Chapter XXIX

Tony had taken her bag and dropped it in a spare room before guiding her out to where Leo was busy working. The workshop was completely different from what Gabrielle expected.  All over were plans and sketches... ideas she and Xena had discussed brought to life on paper. 

Hanging from the ceiling were several models – a couple she recognized, but the rest....  A large glass box held water and in the water were other models... working models that moved and functioned as she suspected their life sized counterparts were supposed to do.

On the walls were sketches and pencil drawings so detailed, Gabrielle nearly cried at the beauty of them.  She stood still in the middle of the room for a long time simply absorbing the magnitude of creative genius and the two men watched in silence, appreciating her wonder.

After a few minutes, Gabrielle took a deep breath and looked squarely at the artist she’d come to see.  “Leonardo da Vinci!  You’re a fraud!”

Two sets of dark eyes bulged from their sockets at both her words and tone.  Da Vinci took a step in her direction and was outmaneuvered by Tony.  Leo saw the twinkle in Gabrielle’s green eyes, though and he held Tony back.

Tony turned to look at Leo’s face and he caught the sparkle in Leo’s eyes.  He twisted around to catch a grin of sheer delight on Gabrielle’s face.  He cocked an inquisitive brow in her direction.”

“’A bit of an artist’, Chris said. ‘Something of a genius’.  *Something*??  Leo, this stuff is fantastic,” walking around a model of a flying machine and reaching out delicately, stopping before her hands actually touched.

“Does it fly?” 

She didn’t give him a chance to answer before she bent down to observe the underwater ship and was reminded of the time she and Xena had found themselves caught in that situation.

“Is this intentional?  Did you really mean to put the boat underwater?”

“Oh yes!  I think boats could be made to travel underwater.  See....”  He motioned to the water turbines he had running in one corner of the tank.  “I think these could be made to push a boat beneath the water.”

“Okay,” Gabrielle said slowly.  “But why would you *want* to?”

“Well, I have this theory,” Leo started saying, taking Gabrielle’s hands and pulling her with him to his work table.  Tony shook his head and went back to the house to start some dinner for them all.

For hours Leonardo shared his ideas and theories with Gabrielle and her eyes sparkled and shone at the thoughts that circulated through the conversation.  So many of the things were ideas she and Xena had discussed all those years ago in the many fireside chats they’d shared in their travels.  To know that others had finally come to the same beliefs and conclusions was gratifying.

For his part, da Vinci loved having someone new to talk to.  He loved Tony, but Tony didn’t talk much.  He listened really well, but he rarely felt the need to contribute ideas to any conversation.  Gabrielle, on the other hand, was happy to discuss, argue and converse on all sorts of points and ideas.

Days this went on from morning til night, though they spent a majority of their time in the house to include Tony, until he would run them out for a bit of peace and quiet.  Leo would bring up an idea and Gabrielle would listen.  Then she would formulate her own opinions and the discussion would be off and running.  Many were the times when she would bring up a salient point, only to have him halt the talk so he could add it to his notes.  Then they would pick up the thread and begin again.

After almost a week of discussion on every subject under the sun and some of the sun itself, Leo finally broached his initial reason for inviting Gabrielle to his villa.

“So, have you decided to let me paint you?”

Gabrielle shook her head.  She had seen some of Leo’s other paintings and felt fairly sure it was an easy way to become immortalized.  She had enough immortality issues without putting a face to them. 

“Um, no,” she said at last.  “I was wondering if instead you might be willing to apprentice me for a while... let me learn from you.”

Leo thought about this for a time, then shrugged.  “I can try.  I can teach you technique, color mixing, brushstrokes, but the art itself....”  He tapped her on the chest.  “That has to come from inside.  I cannot teach you heart.”

She nodded.  “That I understand, Leo.  All my best stories come from here,” patting her own chest.  “And it’s not something I can explain.  It’s something I have to feel to be able to relate to others.”

Da Vinci nodded sagely.  “You understand the most important part then already.  The rest is simple mechanics and any good teacher can instruct an eager student.”

So the following morning Leo set Gabrielle up at an easel in the corner of his workshop.   He took several hours explaining perception and shading and showed her several of his sketches.

“I do a preliminary sketch of my ideas before I actually get the paints out.  It helps me to picture what I want to show people with my art... shows me all the possibilities within the piece that I can convey.”  He paused.  “Can you sketch?”

Gabrielle turned her gaze inward.  “I’ve never tried, but....”  She trailed off.  “I think I could.”

Leo looked at her a long moment, waiting for her gaze to track back to him.  When she finally saw him staring, she smiled nervously at him and rubbed the back of her neck.

“What?”

He walked to his desk, shuffling things around and pulling out drawers.  Without a word, Tony came into the room and neatly moved Leo out of the way before reaching into the pile of papers on the desk and grasping a neatly bound sheaf of paper.  He handed it to Leonardo.

“Dinner is ready,” Tony announced without preamble, knowing they would follow him back into the villa.

“How did he....” Gabrielle asked, gesturing to the pad Leo now held in his hands.  Da Vinci smiled as he looked at the bundle and shrugged. 

“I dunno.  He’s always known when I’ve needed something and can pretty much put his hands right on it.”  He paused when all the implications of that statement sank in and blushed faintly.  Gabrielle was kind enough to keep her reaction to a look of devilish merriment in her eyes.  Leo cleared his throat and continued.

“Anyway, I made up a few of these.  I’ve been tinkering on improving the printing press and found that the binding plays a huge role in book quality.  So I put a few of these together and use them for sketch pads now.”  He handed the paper to Gabrielle, who accepted it delicately.  “Enjoy it in good health, my dear.”

“Thank you, Leo.  I look forward to seeing if this is one of my many skills.”

He wondered at the sadness of her tone, but the distant look in her eyes kept him from asking questions.  Instead, they went inside to share the lovely meal that Tony had prepared for them.

Over the course of the next few days, Gabrielle spent hours outdoors.  Leonardo found he missed Gabrielle’s companionship, but he turned his attention back to his scientific studies, incorporating some of the ideas that he and she had discussed.  Tony missed her as well because she had added something to his kitchen.

Every time either of them checked on her, she seemed to be staring out into space accomplishing very little.  Only occasionally did they see the charcoal move across the paper at all.

Finally, after nearly a week of this, Gabrielle came back in quietly late one afternoon.  She put the sketch pad down carefully and sank into da Vinci’s padded thinking chair near the workroom’s vast window.

She turned her attention out across the vista, not even realizing when Leo set his own work aside and approached her.

“Problem?”

Gabrielle looked at him and gave a brief smile before shrugging and returning her focus back to the view outside the window.

Leo rubbed his hands over his beard, trying to figure out how to ask without being too nosey or condescending.  Finally, he just spoke.

“You shouldn’t be too disappointed, Gabrielle.  Not everyone can draw, you know.  Perhaps you should try simply painting instead.”

Now she smiled at him again and he could see the sadness lurking behind the slight mischief her saw in those green depths.  She reached for the sketch pad and shook her head.

“Drawing wasn’t the problem, Leo.  I seem to have a knack for it.  But I can’t paint these.  The images are just too personal for me.”

“May I see?” Leo asked hesitantly.  “I know they aren’t for public consumption,” he said holding up a hand.  “Believe me when I say I can totally understand that.  I have some of those myself.  I have several sketches that will never see the light of day because of... well, here... see for yourself.”

He moved to a small box tucked in a corner of the room.  Lifting the lid, he removed several sheets, the topmost one bringing a smile to his face.

“I always wanted to paint Tony.  He has such a beautiful face and body.  I thought it would make an incredible picture.”  Leo passed the sheaf to Gabrielle.  “I was right.”

Gabrielle accepted the papers hesitantly, feeling like she was prying even though Leo was offering them to her for her perusal.  She looked in his eyes a minute longer and he nodded.  Gabrielle turned her attention to the pages and felt her eyes widen.

The love the artist had for his subject was apparent in every stroke of the pencil.  Gabrielle felt as though she stumbled into the privacy of someone’s bedroom and she turned back to Leonardo.

“These are... so personal.”

“Yes, so you see, I do understand.  But I would also like to see your work if you feel you can share... one artist to another.  No one else will see them... not even Tony, without your permission.”

Gabrielle stared at him for a long moment, weighing his words and his honesty against the need she felt for privacy.  And found, surprisingly, that she wanted his honest opinion... knowing he understood at least part of her dilemma. 

She hesitated, then handed him the sketch pad and turned her attention back to the window while he studied them.  For a while, the only sound in the room was the occasional turn of pages and the breathing of two people.  Then only the breathing could be heard as the rustle of paper ceased.  The sharp silence went on interminably, until Gabrielle looked at Leo’s face to try and gauge his reaction.

The tears in his eyes surprised her and she moved to kneel beside him.  Leonardo gazed at the picture, not acknowledging her presence.  She laid her hand on his arm and asked softly, “Are they that bad?”

He shook his head, then asked in a whispered voice, “They’re incredible.  Who is she?”

“Someone who is everything to me... someone that has been gone from my life for a very long time.”

The pictures were all memories of Xena she most cherished, but the one Leo was focused on was particularly precious.  It was Xena as she had appeared to Gabrielle when their souls had left the cross before they had ascended into heaven.  The look of sheer love and joy on Xena’s face was so intense, it was palpable even on paper.

“She loved you.”  A statement.

“Yes and I love her.”

“Still?”

A nod.  “Always.”

“I see your problem, Gabrielle,” matter-of-factly.  “Perhaps you would do better to simply paint... something you can see instead of something you remember.”

Gabrielle nodded slowly.  “I can try,” she said at last.

Leo nodded.  “You are very gifted.  The skill is there.  Just let it work for you.”  He motioned to the easel he’d set up in the corner for her a week prior.  “It’s here and set up, ready to go when you are ready to start.  Just let the art lead you.”

Everyday after that, for a least a little while, Gabrielle stood in front of the wood.  She added a little at a time... sometimes no more than a single brushstroke and other times she would stand there for hours working on tiny details.

Leo and Tony neither one got to see the work before it was completed.  They could have peeked, of course, but Gabrielle kept a cloth over it when she was not working and they respected her need for privacy.

Finally, the day came when she was finished and Gabrielle left the cloth covering off the painting and went for a walk.  She was fairly certain neither man would resist the temptation to look given the opportunity and she wanted a chance to prepare for whatever reaction they might have.

When she returned to the villa, the house was silent.  She was glad for that little fact.  It gave her time to take a bath and she relished the experience to the fullest. Leonardo had contrived to produce a bathroom complete with indoor plumbing and Gabrielle loved the efficiency.

The house was still empty when she finished and she figured she’d stalled as long as she could.  Gathering up her courage, she walked to the workshop and poked her head in the door.

Leo and Tony sat in front of the painting, studying it silently.  They merely turned to look at her a moment when Gabrielle crossed the threshold, then they resumed they contemplation of the portrait before them.

“Who is she?” Tony asked when the silence grew heavy.

Gabrielle shrugged.  “She is many people.  She has your eyes, Tony and Lisa’s hands.  Her facial shape is Leo’s and the clothes belong to the bishop’s wife.  Her hair is part of a memory for me and the body shape belongs to the baker.”

“She’s remarkable,” Leo commented finally.  “What is she called?”

Gabrielle shrugged.  “I dunno.  You can call her whatever you want.  I’m giving her to you.”

Leonardo gave a slight gasp.  “Gabrielle... that is... she is....  Thank you.  She is simply amazing.”

“One condition, Leo.”  He tilted his head and waited for her to elaborate.  “She is YOURS.  Your work, your art, your name.”

“But... why?”  This from Tony with a perplexed look on his face.

“It’s the best thing for me, Tony and everyone already knows Leo is ‘something of a genius’ when it comes to art,” Gabrielle said with a sly snicker.  Leonardo gave her the appropriate adult response and stuck out his tongue.

“But....”

“Tony,” Leo cut in quietly.  “Let it go.  I understand.”  And the look he shared with Gabrielle assured her that his understanding went deeper than she imagined it could.

“So what are you gonna call her?”

“I don’t know.  Mona maybe?  For Many Odd, Nefarious Assets... Lifted In Sacrilegious Accord From All Things Surrounding....”

Gabrielle burst into laughter.  “Mona Lisa Fats?!?”  She paused, still chuckling.  “Although Mona Lisa has a nice ring to it.”  She shrugged again.  “You can name it whatever you want, Leo.  It’s yours.”  He voice softened and she reached around to give him a firm hug, gratified when it was returned in full measure.

“Thanks, Leo.”

“For what, my friend?” brushing the blonde locks back out of her eyes.

“For teaching me.  For talking and listening.  For allowing me to stay here and for just being my friend.  You’ll never know the difference you have made in my life.”

Leonardo kissed the top of Gabrielle’s head.  “And you’ll never know the difference you have made in mine.”

“Hey!” Tony’s voice suddenly cut in.  “Is this a private hug, or can anyone here get in on the action?”

Gabrielle and Leo stepped back a pace from one another to allow the big man to participate and Tony promptly scooped them into an all-encompassing hug.  It lasted for several minutes before Tony pulled back.

“Now, let me go see what I can throw together for supper.”

They waited until he was gone back into the villa before turning to one another again.  “How much longer can you stay?” Leo asked after a moment’s silence.

“A little while.  I just take it one day at a time.”

Leo chuckled.  “We should all do that.  The world would be a better place.”  He paused.  “You know you’re welcome here as long as you’re comfortable.”

“I know.  Thanks, Leo.”

As it was, Gabrielle stayed longer than she’d planned. Within just a few months, Leo’s father passed away, then a beloved uncle.  And then without warning, Tony died in the darkness of night.  No sickness than anyone was aware of, no pain that he ever spoke about – he simply drew his last breath in his sleep.

Leo was devastated and Gabrielle stayed with him for a while as he recovered.  They spent many hours talking and finally the day came when Leo smiled again.

“I’m sorry to have changed your plans so drastically,” da Vinci said the night before Gabrielle was leaving.  “I hope you didn’t miss something important.”

Gabrielle took his hands in hers. “Nothing was more important than this.  Tony was good people and I consider myself lucky to have known him.”

Leo released her hold and turned to the window.  “I still miss him,” he said simply.

Gabrielle smiled sadly.  “You always will, but the fact that you loved and remember him is important.  It allows him to live still.”

“You live with this everyday, don’t you?” asked without turning from the view.

“And have for longer than I remember,” Gabrielle replied softly.

Now, finally, Leonardo turned from the window.  “You are a woman of great strength and courage, Gabrielle.  Thank you for coming here.  Thank you for sharing with me.  I wish you much success on your journey... and your search.”

Though they had never spoken of it, Gabrielle could see that Leo understood... far more than she’d explained to him.  She looked questioningly at him and he smiled.

“It shows... in your words and your actions... and your art.  Good luck, my friend.”

“You too, Leo.”

For reasons she could only later put down to a macabre curiosity, Gabrielle headed to Rome.  She had heard some comments about the art that could be found there and wanted to see for herself how it compared to Leo’s work.  Besides, she and Rome had a long history and she was interested in seeing how the old city was holding up under the weight of years that had passed.

What she found was both surprising and disheartening.  Much of what she had known was crumbling around her and it reminded her just how old she really was.  On the other hand, she didn’t mind the fact that the Coliseum that had brought her and Xena such repeated misery was becoming a heap of rubble.

She walked the streets of the city slowly, her bright eyes taking in the many new sights that graced the walkways and boulevards of the capital city.  As in other parts of Italy, the arts abounded in Rome.  Everywhere Gabrielle looked, philosophers and scholars thrived and she caught bits and pieces of conversation that reminded her of her talks with Xena so many years before.

“Looks like the world may finally be catching up with us, love,” she whispered under her breath, before beginning her search for a comfortable lodging.

She spent several days just looking around the sights of the city, impressed again by the quality of workmanship in so much of the artwork now flowing all around her.  The sculptures, in wood, brass and marble, had such exquisite detail that Gabrielle could only marvel at its intricacy.  She had rolled her eyes when she realized that most of it was devoted to some aspect of religion or another, then set that fact aside and simply enjoyed the work for the beauty of the art itself.

As she crossed into yet another cathedral, she came across a piece simply labeled ‘David.’  She started laughing so hard it brought tears to her eyes and a man to her side in concern.

“Is there a problem, Miss?”

Gabrielle calmed her chuckles and wiped her eyes, trying not to look at the sculpture for fear it would bring the laughter all over again. “No... no.  I’m fine, thank you.”

“Can I ask what was so funny?”

Gabrielle gestured to the statue.  “David didn’t look like that.  And he certainly never left himself flapping in the wind that way.”  She chuckled again and headed out the door, the man following rapidly behind her.

“You speak as though you knew him.”

Gabrielle answered him absently as she gazed out across the boulevard.  “I did.”

The man did a double take at her matter-of-fact response.  He caught her eyes and noted they were the eyes of a dreamer, an artist like himself.  He smiled at her and extended his hand in greeting.

“People call me Mike.  That’s my sculpture,” pointing back to the church.

Gabrielle blushed lightly.  “Well, it’s very well done.”  She rubbed her nose.  “It’s just not very, um... realistic.”

Mike laughed.  “No, but it is good art.  Come.  Have some lunch with me and I’ll take you to my latest project, so you can critique it as well.”

Gabrielle looked at him for a long moment.  “You sure your boyfriend won’t mind?” she asked impishly, watching for the shocked reaction she knew was coming.

“I don’t....  How did...?  Never mind.  You wanna come, or am I eating alone?”

She took his arm and Mike led her down the boulevard towards the chapel where he was working. 

“So what brought you to the cathedral in the middle of a work day if you’re working way down here?” Gabrielle asked as they entered the chapel.  It was large as far as chapels went, Gabrielle thought, then stopped abruptly as she realized the interior was completely covered in scaffolding.  “Wha...?”  She turned and looked at Mike’s face.

“I’ve been commissioned to repaint the ceiling in Bible stories.  Sometimes, it gets a little overwhelming.  So I take some time and go look at David.  Sorta puts things in perspective for me.  Reminds me I can do this, even if it takes me years.”

Gabrielle glanced at the ceiling and noted a small portion of it was covered in murals.  But with her lack of height and the imposing scaffolding, all she could see were bright colors occasionally.  She looked back at Michelangelo who was watching her face with an amused expression.

“Do you think we could get a little closer?  All I can see from here is a lot of pretty color.”  Now it was Mike’s turn to laugh.

“Sure.  Um, you don’t have a problem with heights, do you?”

“Not for years,” Gabrielle said drolly, thinking back to her first experiences with the Amazons and learning to walk in the trees.  Mike didn’t notice her distant expression.

“Good,” he mumbled, “because it’s a long way up.”

It was a long way up, but well worth the climb, Gabrielle decided when she reached the top of the ladder.  The little bit that had been completed was so rich in detail, it brought tears to her eyes.

“This is fabulous!” she said breathlessly, after taking a long time to look around at each panel.  “The storytelling involved here is just incredible.”

Mike smiled.  Though he and Leo were rivals and had been for years, it was almost a friendly rivalry and something both men secretly enjoyed.  When he’d received the missive from Leo detailing Gabrielle’s arrival in Rome and the subtle favor asking Mike to look out for the bard, it had piqued the artist’s curiosity enough to make him go looking for Gabrielle.

So what he’d told Gabrielle about David was the truth, just not the entire truth.  He’d spent the last seven days waiting for her arrival there, knowing that if what Leo had said about her was true, she’d be there sooner or later.  Personally, he was glad it was sooner.  The Pope and his archbishops were getting a little perturbed at his continued absence.

“Thanks,” he said with a blush.  He wasn’t much for the girls, but there was just something about Gabrielle....  “Say, I got a note from a mutual friend the other day.”

Gabrielle cocked her brow in question.

“Leo told me there was a beautiful artist headed my way and that....”  He cleared his throat self-consciously before affecting a nasally voice.  “It would behoove me to make your acquaintance.”

Gabrielle chuckled.  “That sounds like Leo.”  She paused.  “So it wasn’t just dumb luck running into you?”

“Not exactly, but I’m glad I took the chance to find you.  I haven’t laughed like I did at your critique of David in a while,” motioning to the ceiling.  “This is such tedious, exacting work.”  He went on before she could answer.  “Not that I don’t love it, but still.”  He hesitated.  “I don’t suppose you’d like to do some, would you?”

“How do you know I have the talent?”

“Because for all the grief Leo and I give one another, we never lie about artistic talent,” he said without delay.  “There’s no room for fakers in this business.”

“You don’t know me or anything about me.  How do you know I won’t take you for a ride or screw things up for you?”

“I know Leo.  He’d never get taken in by that and I know you spent a while with him and Tony.  He trusts you.”

Gabrielle watched his face, gauging the sincerity of his words and voice.  Finally she nodded, satisfied with what she found.  “I’ll help, on two conditions,” she said at last.

“Yes?”  Michelangelo was curious now.  Given what Leonardo had shared, he had a fairly good idea what was coming.

“You keep my name out of it and you feed me.”

“I can do that,” Mike said with a smile and an extended arm.

Gabrielle accepted his handshake.  “Then you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Gabrielle came back to the present with a start.  It had been a while since she’d either sketched or painted and now she carefully withdrew the pad Leonardo had given her those centuries ago.  The feel of the thick paper brought a smile to her face and the pictures still brought a teary twinkle to her eyes.

“I’ll have to take you to Rome again, Xena and show you what I painted.  You can’t tell the difference, but I remember.  It was an amazing work of art... still is.  That time made me appreciate so many things.”

She put the sketch book away and pulled the feather out of her diary that marked her place and twirled it in her fingers, remembering the time long ago when she’d watched Xena repair her Queen’s mask before a festival.

“One day, when we have time, you’re gonna have to teach me how to make an Amazon mask, Xena.  I know you’ve got the skills and though I have no use for one now, I’d like to have my Queen’s mask again.  I’ll never get the one Ephiny made for me back.”  She shuddered.  “Not that I’d want it with the memories attached to it now.”

Then she picked up her diary, closed the door and headed for the sunlight.

Chapter XXX

Xena twirled the feather Keto had given her in her fingers as she made her way across the plains towards the Mexican part of the continent.  Only two days out and it had been rough going so far – her animal companions were still greatly put out with her and the feather brought so many memories of Gabrielle to the forefront of her mind.  She decided to focus on the animals first.  The trip was going to allow her plenty of time to explore her memories of Gabrielle.

“C’mon, guys.  I said I’m sorry I went without you.”

She wasn’t sure how, but they managed to look at her with complete disdain.  Xena sighed and stopped walking. The animals kept their slow pace in front of her.

“I know... I should have waited until spring, but I... just....  I need to find the totems.  As fast as I can.  I’ve got to get back to Gabrielle.”

They didn’t forgive her exactly, but they did stop walking and look at her, waiting for her to catch up to them.  Xena smiled.  It wasn’t the warm welcome she wanted, but it was a good first step.

They walked along in silence for a time.  It was what they were all most comfortable with.  Eventually, Xena’s attention turned back to the feather she still held in her hand.

It was long, thin and the same shade of dark gold that Xena remembered the feathers of Gabrielle’s mask being on top.  She could still clearly see the defiance the bard’s face had worn as she accepted the responsibility away from Velaska.  Xena had been pretty damn proud of Gabrielle at that moment.

Xena let the memory run, remembering what she’d felt when her spirit had taken over Gabrielle’s body.  It was the first time she was sure that what she felt for Gabrielle was returned in full measure and it had been the most wonderful, terrifying feeling.  And it had been the first step on a journey she desperately wanted to get back to.

She twirled the feather absently, letting it caress her lips as she let her mind wander over the few times after that she’d seen Gabrielle don her ceremonial clothing.  She rarely wore the mask, claiming it hot and confining.  She preferred to leave it hanging in the small hut set aside for their use.

Xena knew there was more to it than that and she made it her own personal mission to insure that the mask was in pristine shape on the rare occasion Gabrielle had deigned to wear it.  They had actually discussed it once, just before Ephiny was killed.

“It’s a symbol of honor, Gabrielle.  Of tradition.”

“I know that, Xena.”  Gabrielle scrubbed her hands through her recently shortened hair in frustration.  “I’m proud of the symbolism, the honor and the tradition that goes with it.  But I should no more wear that mask than Ares should.  I’m not an Amazon Queen.”  She sighed.  “I never have been,” finishing on a much softer note.

“I disagree with you, Gabrielle, and so would many of the women of your tribe.  Why do you think Ephiny is holding it for you?  Why else would it hang in your hut and not hers?”  Xena gently brushed the shaggy bangs off Gabrielle’s forehead.  “One day... one day, you’ll wear that mask and you’ll understand why you really are a true Amazon Queen.”

Xena came back to the present, realizing that the sun was going down and she was going to have to make camp for the night.

The two animals went off on their own hunt while Xena conducted hers and once the large rabbit had been drained of blood, she set it over a spit to cook.  Not that she was ever particularly hungry, but she had quickly realized that if gave her body a regular ration of food, her need to feed on blood significantly decreased.

Xena hated this facet of her immortality... the price she paid for her continued existence.  Her thoughts wandered to how Gabrielle would be coping with something similar.  The loss of dignity and control were humiliating and Gabrielle had always been much more sensitive to killing and death than Xena, even after becoming a warrior.

It had been much easier and here Xena smiled broadly, much more pleasant when they had been together.  Not even something they acknowledged between them, but there nevertheless.  Now her smile faded completely.  Why hadn’t she thought of that *before* she made her decision in Japan?  She shook her head to clear it.  No matter how many times she went over it, how many regrets she lived with, it would never change what she had done... to herself and to Gabrielle.

Would you change it if you could?

Xena’s head whipped around, her hyper-alert senses scanning the area for anything to clue her in to what could have been a whisper of the wind or her over-active imagination.  She snorted in derision.  No one had *ever* accused her of THAT particular malady.  Gabrielle had always been the part of their partnership that could imagine all sorts of possibilities.  Xena loved listening to the bard’s musings, but tended to stick to cold, hard facts.

So she waited, patiently, trying to sense... something, anything... to explain what she had heard, what she had literally felt as a caress of her skin as it crossed her hearing.  Only silence and stillness greeted her senses, however and Xena knew there would be no rest for her as the question continued to play over and over in her mind.

The next several days passed the same, though now that question weighed most heavily in her thoughts.  Though she knew the answer without a doubt was an unequivocal YES, the query remained as a constant reminder... a constant thought.  At times, Xena felt sure she would go mad from the unending cycle, sure that the Furies had returned to haunt her once more.

Finally, through sheer force of her will alone, Xena set the question aside and turned her attention back to the mask she needed to find.

When he’d given her the feather, Keto had explained that finding the mask would be a little more involved than her search for the staff had been.

“Kya not share much, but took two full cycles of seasons before he return to us.  Feather you hold is all left from mask.”

“He destroyed it??”

“No.  Was left with single feather when totems returned home.”

Xena nodded and wondered what it had taken for Keto to obtain the feather from Kya.  The young man still harbored a huge grudge towards Xena and the fact that she had undertaken a quest he felt was rightfully his.  She had no way of knowing that the rest of the tribe had insured he understood the penalty for dishonoring Xena again.

“Will need stealth to find... many traps, well-hidden.”

Xena nodded and took the scroll and the staff in hand and headed southwest, into what had once been Aztec territory.

Now she found herself well into the journey, though she knew it would take some time on foot.  She didn’t feel right taking one of the few horses the tribe had, though Keto had made one readily available for her use.  There were so many fights and little wars that plagued them and Xena didn’t want the warriors to get caught short.

So she walked, finding a new appreciation for the world around her and for Gabrielle’s strength those many years ago.  Of course, having no horse, she carried a bit more than Gabrielle had to.  In addition to the backpack that carried her spare set of clothing, towel and some foodstuffs, she also carried the pot for her tea and her lone cup and plate.  Her bedroll was tied to the bottom of the pack and rested snugly at the small of her back.

Around her waist she wore the gun Michael had given her with a quiver on the other side and slung over one shoulder was a short bow.  She was thankful for the staff in a way she hadn’t expected to be.  No wonder Gabrielle had taken to riding once she’d given up her staff.

Slowly, Etor and Melo were warming up to her again, though they’d made it clear she had made them angry but good.  The fox looked as though it wanted to forgive and forget... there was an almost forlorn look in the green eyes that watched her from across the campfire.  The panther, though, continued to glare and growl in her direction.  Knowing that they were similar in temperament to Gabrielle and herself, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was an indication of what her welcome from Gabrielle would be.  She almost hoped so.  At least Melo wanted to forgive her, even if it was taking a while.  Etor still looked ready to bite.

For days and weeks they walked on together in relative silence.  There was little to bother them along the way except the expected predators and the trio gave off enough of a predatory scent themselves to make everything else move away from them.

The plains melted into mountains and the mountains fell away into desert sands before the sand gave way to the jungle the scroll had told her to search for.  The air was much heavier here, wet with the scent of age and decay.

They walked stealthily for a long time, careful not to disturb the silence that was as heavy as the air.  Finally, they reached a pyramid and Xena began her search.

It was oppressive here and there was no evidence that anyone had been here in a very long time.  She walked around the area slowly, noting absently the crumbling remains of what appeared to have been a once-thriving civilization.

She searched carefully.  Though she had definite ideas of where she suspected the mask would be, it wouldn’t do to overlook either the obvious possibilities or the obscure ones.

Xena checked the area around the temple first, working in a spiral pattern that slowly closed the circle.  Eventually she reached the temple and not seeing an obvious way in began the trek towards the top.

She looked around each side of the pyramid, knowing the mask could have been lost or hidden, but fairly certain that it was somewhere inside, given the excellent condition of the feather now in her possession.

She reached the top and the altar area and let the revulsion she felt at what she found there wash over her in waves.  Quite without her conscious permission she felt her eye teeth elongate as her nose picked up the scent of very old blood. Her eyes noted the stains still on the altar and she cringed inwardly at both the horror of the place and her uncontrollable reaction to it.

She was pretty sure the evidence before her attested to human sacrifice and would have prayed, had she had any faith left at all, that Gabrielle had been spared the ghastly experience of seeing that atrocity in the name of a god.  Knowing the memories that would invoke, she swallowed the bile it brought to her own throat.

A meticulous search around the altar area finally turned up the trigger she’d been hunting for.  She moved it, then waited patiently for the door to slide open, allowing her entrance to mysteries that had been hidden from prying eyes for generations.

The air was old and stale, though it was relatively free from the scent of blood Xena noted happily.  She explored the opening carefully, then fashioned several torches from the materials she could scrounge from the vicinity.  It took her until nearly dark, but she decided she preferred to be inside and away from the smell of blood and death.  So she lit a torch and slipped inside feeling the two animals slide in beside her.

The darkness was thick and cloying and the torch made little headway against the oppressiveness the heavy air conveyed.  The going was slow as Xena didn’t want to trigger potential traps, nor did she want to allow the possibility of the mask she was searching for to escape her notice.

The steps lead downward and Xena figured that they led to ground level and probably a main chamber.  So she followed the stairs slowly and methodically, watching as bugs and beetles scurried out of her path and careful not to disturb the snakes and other more deadly creatures that watched her passing.

The blackness pressed around her and Xena stood still a moment once she reached the floor.  The area here was free of anything living and it made the warrior wonder.  It made no sense... either that anything could survive inside the temple, or that those that did avoided the openness of the floor.  Then something caught her attention in the darkness and she put her confusing thoughts aside to get a closer look.

It was another altar, but utterly different from the one she’d seen outside. This one was in pristine condition, save the coating of dust and laid out across its surface were a variety of knives.  They were very similar in hilt and form... only the length of the blade differentiated them from each other.  They were clean and still razor sharp, though Xena’s senses detected the faintest traces of blood where the hilt and blades met.

She walked slowly around the altar, aware of a variety of things hanging on the nearby walls, though nothing was clear in the thick shadows outside the small circle of light.  Xena moved closer to the walls to investigate.  She didn’t notice when the panther and the fox wandered away together.

Directly behind the altar hung a large blue and green feathered cape with a gash on one side at the neck and bloodstains around the whole itself.  A decorated mask hung neatly above it and Xena reached the torch higher to examine it more closely.

The mask was made of wood and feathers, but the only feathers Xena found evidence of were the blue and green of the cape and not the gold she sought. Xena lifted a hand to touch it, but a low rumble from beside and slightly behind her changed her mind.

Her torch began to sputter and dim, so Xena took another from her stash and lit it, leaving the first one to give her extra light until it died of natural causes.

On one side of the robe was a staff of sorts with beading and decoration Xena did not readily recognize.  On the other hung a shield... again more decorative than useful.  Xena fingered it lightly, the slowly continued her trek around the chamber.

Various other bits of artifacts hung well preserved on the walls and she had cause to wonder where they had come from and why they remained still when no one was left to appreciate them or understand their place in the society that had one obviously thrived here.

When she reached the wall directly across from the altar, a familiar tingling skittered up her spine.  “Gabrielle?” she whispered, even though her conscious mind knew the impossibility of that prospect.  Still the feeling lingered and she slowed even more, desperate not to miss the slightest clue.

Here there was a pile of bloody weapons, none of them cleaned from their last use and all of them randomly thrown on the floor.  Her nose twitched and she wondered why the weapons had been left in such a condition.

Her eyes moved around and up the wall slowly, lighting at last on another mask.  This one was held in place by virtue of a knife buried to the hilt between the eyes of the mask and into the wall itself.  Xena brought the light closer to the wall, unable to stop the slight gasp that escaped her when she could clearly see the mask in front of her.

It was an Amazon war mask and more precisely, it was the war mask of a Queen. 

Xena wondered how it had come to be in this time and place and then put her questions aside to remove it from the wall.  She pushed the bloodied weapons aside and planted the torch in the ground.  Then she jumped straight up, removing the knife from the wall and catching the mask with her free had as it slipped free.

Xena dropped the knife and grasped the mask in two faintly shaking hands.  There was blood spattered all over the front.  She let her fingers trace the familiar form, remembering the rare few times she’d held a mask similar to this one in her hands before offering it to Gabrielle.

She looked around again, hoping to find some clue as to where the mask came from and why it was here.  Seeing nothing, Xena turned it over in her hands and froze.  Nestled in the straps and crevices of the backing were blonde hairs the shade of which Xena had only ever seen on one person in her lifetime.

“Gabrielle?”  She reached towards them then pulled back, not wanting them to be real and at the same time needing the tactile confirmation her eyes were insisting was the truth. 

Xena removed her backpack and set the mask calmly on top of it.  Then she sat and leaned against the wall, refusing the comfort of tears and simply letting her mind wander.

She hated this... hated where she was; hated what she’d done; especially hated not knowing the whole truth about WHY she was here and HOW to go home.  And the thought that Gabrielle had been here without her sent a pain through Xena so sharp it made her gasp in reaction.

The fox left its place near the panther and curled up without hesitation in Xena’s lap.  Xena let her hands gently stroke the red-gold fur, feeling the satisfied rumbling purr in the warm body.  The panther came closer, maintaining a sentinel watch but not approaching within Xena’s reach.

“Why was she here, Melo?  Because I know she was.  I can feel that truth in my very bones.  When was she here?  By all accounts the people of the valley have been gone for centuries.  She’s alive... and immortal.  I’m positive of that much now.  Question is - how do I find her?”

Xena shifted to make herself more comfortable, lighting another torch.  “May as well wait until morning before starting out again,” she muttered to her two companions before turning her attention back to her wayward thoughts.

“What do you think, Melo?  Will Gabrielle be happy to see me when I find her?  Does she want me too?  Will she want to go home or will she want to stay here?  She’s been alone for a long time... maybe she’d rather....”  Xena slapped her hands to her face and scrubbed them hard.

“Sorry,” she mumbled again.  “Being stupid.”  And just why are you being stupid, Xena?  Where is this bout of insecurity coming from, hmm?  Gabrielle has never given you reason to doubt or mistrust and if she wants to stay here, then you’ll find a way to stay here and make it work.  Her choice this time, warrior!

Xena knew the sentiment was her own and heartfelt, but the words felt as though they belonged to another.  She briefly wondered again if the Furies had been sent to punish her, then pushed the idea aside.  There was nothing they could do to her worse than she could manage on her own.  And right now, she seemed to be managing just fine... if driving herself nuts was on the agenda. 

Xena knew those kinds of thoughts were pointless, but it was so much harder to dismiss them here.  Maybe because she’d had no transition time; maybe because Gabrielle wasn’t here; maybe... maybe this place is just depressing and I should just let it go.

She closed her eyes and deliberately let her mind take her into some of her happier memories with Gabrielle.

With morning came a better perspective and Xena put her mood down to the darkness of the temple.  She hadn’t let her torch go out through the night and now was down to her last one.

“C’mon guys.  We’ve got other places to be besides here.”

Xena looked around, hoping to find a way out at the bottom.  After much searching, she finally found a crack in the wall that resembled a door and went about hunting for a key to unlock it.  Just as she found the keystone, the torch sputtered and went out.  Xena breathed a sigh of relief when the stone door swung soundlessly open, allowing fresh air and sunshine through the portal.

The respite from the darkness and the stale air was a welcome one and the trio slowly made its way back out of the temple area with the mask strapped to Xena’s backpack and the staff still well in hand.

After many days travel northward, Xena finally reached an inhabited area of the country, but the number of soldiers she’d seen in the area was unnerving.  It made her blood burn... and then the unthinkable happened.

A soldier pushed a young boy down and raised his rifle.  The boy’s mother, frantic and distraught, threw herself in front of the child in an effort to protect him.  The soldier laughed derisively and reached for the woman, thrusting her aside and raised his gun again. 

This time the mother jumped him from behind and the soldier threw her off him and onto the ground, lifting the gun like a club and swinging it backwards....

... only to find it caught and held by a blue-eyed demon woman.

Xena pulled back her arm and punched him hard enough that she felt his brains rattle before he fell solidly to the ground.  The woman screamed and Xena had just time to kick out before several soldiers fell on top of her and started hitting with a will.

She let them swing for a while... they were mostly hitting one another and she saw no reason to stop them.  One of them landed a lucky punch on her nose however and as soon as the blood started flowing, everything changed.

Xena’s focus closed and her world narrowed to just the men on top of her.  She felt her fangs grow and the burning howled in her blood and she let it, drawing strength from it for the coming battle.

Without warning, she pushed herself from the ground and slowly, methodically decimated the squad of soldiers that had jumped on her.  When all was said and done, she was the only living thing left standing in the small town.  The people had scattered to their homes and only bits remained of what had moments before been proud Mexican soldiers.

Slowly, her fangs receded and she stepped back, bloody and sated from what was in essence, the remnants of a war zone.

Xena walked over to her gear where the fox and the cat sat patiently guarding her things.  She lifted the backpack carefully, not wanting to get more blood on the mask, or any of her other gear for that matter.  She bent to retrieve the staff when a hissing sound caught her attention.

She turned and there stood the woman she’d stood up for only moments before.  With a tug on the warrior’s sleeve, the woman made it clear she wanted Xena to follow her and since her senses no longer prickled, Xena complied.

The woman and her family offered Xena a place to bathe off and a hot meal while the woman scrubbed the blood from Xena’s clothes.  They didn’t talk much, which was fine with Xena.  She felt more drained than she’d been in years.  They offered her a bed that she fully intended to refuse, until the boy she had saved looked at her with pleading eyes that reminded her so much of Gabrielle.

Xena smiled then and riffled his hair and he gave her a big grin in return.  Tomorrow would bring more soldiers and problems, but for the night they had their very own hero.

The family looked askance at the two animals that followed Xena calmly to the tiny bedroom they’d given her, but both panther and fox casually strolled in and promptly disappeared.

When dinner was over, Xena went to her room and opened the window to look out at the stars.  Most of the night she laid that way, thinking about how good it felt to fight the good fight again.  It wasn’t like it had been in Greece.  Even without the bacchae curse, fighting was different in this place and this time.

With guns, it was much easier to kill... much easier to die.  And without Gabrielle to watch her back, it changed the dynamics of the way Xena fought.  It had taken her years to think of Gabrielle as a partner, an equal and now the habit was so ingrained Xena found it almost impossible to fight differently.

“I miss you, my bard... in more ways than I ever imagined I could,” she whispered to the stars as they faded with the dawn.  “But I think I’ve gotta find a way to do the ‘greater good’ thing again, at least for a while.  It seems like the best way to cope without you, until I find you again.  I’ve always been proud of you, Gabrielle and I want you to be able to say the same thing of me.”

Then she rose from the bed and dressed, eager to head out for her next destination.

The scroll had been less than specific on where she needed to go, but Xena knew enough to move west towards the ocean.  Along the way she helped those who needed it – nursing the sick, building homes and corrals, mending fences and occasionally fighting the bad guys.

Xena took great joy in her fighting and found a renewed optimism in herself and her abilities as she allowed herself to indulge her skills and instincts.  Word began to spread of a fierce, blue-eyed defender and champion of the weak, but now, no one knew her name.

She simply swept in, did what needed to be done and moved on without much conversation.  Occasionally, her spirit guides would be seen, but by and large, Xena was seen as a lone warrior.  Not that people didn’t want to get closer... a few even tried.  But Xena made it clear she wasn’t interested in making friends or anything else.  She would accept a meal and sometimes a bed and bath, but she that was enough to satisfy her need for human contact.

That and the fighting that is.  It was then that she felt whole again and she was careful to try and contain her enthusiasm to the point that no one was exposed to the bacchae side of her personality.

So she slowly made her way up the coast, hoping she would sense where she needed to be to find the fishhook.  The description in the scroll made it sound very familiar... something she remembered seeing Ephiny wear in the Amazon village.

Xena easily recognized the representation of skill it afforded, but she was at a loss to explain how an Amazon necklace had ended up halfway around the world.  Surely she wasn’t simply following Gabrielle while chasing these clues.  She shook her head.  No, she’d know if Gabrielle were that close, she was sure of that.  Her Gabsense had rarely failed her and it had been so long since she’d felt it, she’d identify the change immediately.

Still she contemplated the whys and wherefores of the objects she was forced to track down.  Their being here in this time and place was a mystery of no small proportion and it was interesting, if not always fun to speculate on the reasoning behind it.

Not many folks had made it so far west yet and Xena could go for days without encountering another living soul besides the animals that were so prevalent.  Once in a while, she would run into a native tribe and do a bit of bartering, but by and large, it was wide open country.

Or it had been, Xena thought wryly as the stench of a shanty town hit her nose.  It still amazed her the way humanity smelled when it congregated and she couldn’t believe it didn’t make people as nauseas as it did her.  And adding cattle to the mix....

Her first impulse was to turn around and head for the hills and the fresh air she knew she could find there. But she’d been there and found nothing.  Her instincts had brought her here and if there was one thing in the world Xena still trusted implicitly, it was the instincts she had honed from her days as a warlord.

Somewhere in this tiny, stinking shanty town was the next piece to her puzzle.

Xena got a job on the building crew.  Not what she wanted to do really, but it beat the only ‘work’ that was available to most women in this town.  It had taken a bit of convincing on her part, but when the boss saw she did the same amount of work as the men with less effort, he nodded his approval of her into his crew.  The men watched her for a while and with grudging acknowledgement accepted her as one of them.

Slowly the town began transforming from a shanty town to something more respectable and once or twice Xena caught the profile of someone who stirred ancient memories.  But she was never able to see clearly enough to confirm her suspicions.

Days passed and Xena found she missed the clean air and quiet she’d reveled in since coming to this land.  Her animal companions had abandoned her when she reached the edge of town, disdaining the noise and smell for the peace they could maintain away from the mass of humanity.  Xena missed them.

Several times she felt the wanderlust calling her, remembering so clearly the call of the open road she had shared with Gabrielle.  Only that innate sense she’d come to respect held her in the town though she’d investigated as much of the surrounding area as she could reasonably manage.  And still she was without the talisman she sought.

Building slowed as the weather turned colder and nastier and Xena found it increasingly hard to stay in one place... especially this one. But her nightly talks to Gabrielle eased the frustration and loneliness and Xena took comfort from them.  She imagined she could feel Gabrielle’s presence growing closer and felt better just sharing her day.

Then came a day in the beginning of the New Year when three things happened that brought both satisfaction and a frightening, disturbing annoyance into Xena’s life.

Xena entered her small room at dusk and flopped on the bed gracelessly, looking up at the wooden ceiling.  For the first time in several months she felt optimism and she smiled as she clutched the fishbone to her breast.

“Oh, Gabrielle... do I have a story to tell you.”

Chapter XXXI

“Oh, Xena... do I have a story to tell you.”

Gabrielle chuckled as she read those words in her diary, clearly remembering the day they were written.

The Renaissance was widespread and when she got wind of a bardic competition in Brittana, I mean England, Gabrielle reminded herself, she decided it was time to put her dislike of the place aside and go check it out.  Time those memories were replaced with something better she mused to herself as she finally set foot on the shore, mentally crossing her fingers that that would be the case.

The place had much changed in the centuries since she had been in this place and yet it still had a wild untamed feeling for all the veer of civility it wore.  Gabrielle made her way slowly towards the city, attracting as little attention as she could manage.  A lone woman traveling the countryside was still seen as an invitation to take liberties from by brigands and thieves, though there were a few more safeguards against them in this time and place.  Still, Gabrielle had no desire to become a target for them, even though she could clearly and easily destroy anyone who tried.

Finally she arrived in the city and cautiously made her way to the palace courtyard where the competition would be held.  Lots of people were milling about and Gabrielle found herself near the registration table. She’d told herself that she was simply coming to listen, but she felt her blood stir in the most pleasant way as the atmosphere soaked its way into her consciousness.

A thrill skittered down her spine in the most pleasant way and before she had time for second thoughts, Gabrielle found herself entered in the challenge.

The morning and afternoon passed agreeably and Gabrielle enjoyed herself in a way she hadn’t in years.  Many storytellers took the stage – some good, others not so.  But all of them were entertaining... even if only as they ran from the stage to avoid being pelted with rotten fruit.

Due to the lateness of her entry, Gabrielle was scheduled last and there were a number of entrants.  So it was nearly sunset when a young man... the next to last entry, got up.

He was clearly a crowd favorite, judging by the applause he received when he was introduced and even Gabrielle was carried along on his tale of intrigue and woe.  When he was finished, the crowd cheered and whooped until Gabrielle wondered if she should even bother.  Then the master of ceremonies signaled for silence and the crowd quieted down.

“That was fine, Will,” smiling at the young man who looked insufferably pleased with himself.  “Now,” the MC said, “We have one more bard, a late entry... please welcome Bard Gabrielle.”

The applause was polite, but the silence was filled with expectancy.  Aside from the fact that the crowd favorite, Will, ALWAYS went last, the fact that the interloper was a woman was almost unheard of so publicly in this day and age.  Storytelling wasn’t something most women chose to do, at least outside the home.

So they waited patiently and each of them found themselves captured by verdant green eyes and a slight smile as Gabrielle turned her gaze to the audience, attempting to make contact with everyone.  Then she opened her mouth to speak.

The tale she told them was a simple one – her own story in her own words.  Or part of it at any rate.  Parts of it were too personal to share and others were simply unbelievable.  She told of a faulty, human warrior hero, who didn’t always make the right decision, but did always try.  She told of her companion, left alone because of those decisions and her quest to find the warrior.  Lastly, she told them of their triumphant reunion and all the joy it entailed.

There was dead silence when Gabrielle finished and she stepped back, feeling more drained than she had in many years.  Without warning, the crowd favorite, Will, jumped up on the stage and lifted her arm in triumph.  Stunned, the crowd raised its voice in roaring approval.

Gabrielle found herself surrounded by the many performers who were all eager to congratulate her.  The master of ceremonies had to push and shove people out of his way to reach the middle of the stage where Gabrielle stood, talking to the performers and accepting the adulations of the crowd.

He held up a hand for silence.

“Ladies and gentlemen... I believe we have our winner.  Bard Gabrielle.”

Cheers rang out over the square again and the MC let it roll on for several long moments before raising his hands again.

“On behalf of their majesties, I present this year’s purse to Gabrielle.  Congratulations!”

Gabrielle accepted the small pouch with a smile and a nod and the performers surrounded her once again.  More than once she felt hands reaching for the purse, but Xena’s patiently taught lessons on pressure points came in handy for more than just seasickness and healing.

Eventually, the crowd began to disperse back to their homes and the villages surrounding the castle.  Gabrielle took a moment to look around before a touch on her elbow caused her to turn around.

“Yes?”  She paused.  “Will, right?”

“Yes, Bard Gabrielle,” he started, then halted at the shake of her head and upright hand.  “I’m sorry... I....”

“Will, take a deep breath, all right?  My name is just Gabrielle; not Bard Gabrielle, not Mistress Gabrielle, not Lady Gabrielle, or any other title you can think of.  Just plain Gabrielle.” 

Will smiled at her.  “All right then, just plain Gabrielle. I was wondering if you might like to come home with me.”

Blonde brows rose to an equally blonde hairline and warm green eyes turned to ice.  “Excuse me?”

“Wha... oh... OH!!” He shook his head and chuckled a bit.  “No, no... I’m sorry, Gabrielle.  That’s not what I meant... at least not that way.  Sorry.  For a bard, I have a terrible habit of not conveying what I mean very clearly in normal speech.  Let me begin again.”

Gabrielle nodded, noting the blush that covered Will’s face.  He sighed.  “I think that is the reason I normally win,” he muttered to himself.  He looked back at Gabrielle and motioned her to a seat before assuming on himself.  “When I talk, I make all kinds of gaffes – say things I shouldn’t or don’t mean to say and generally embarrass myself greatly.”  His eyes took on a shine.  “But when I tell stories....”

Gabrielle waited before finishing his thought.  “When you tell stories, you become someone else.  You tell their stories with their words.”

“Exactly!” Will said excitedly, thrilled that she understood.  “I disappear into the background as the characters emerge.”  He hesitated.  “But you didn’t do that.  You became a part of the story.  It was so real... so personal... like you had really experienced it.  I’d like for you to teach me.”

Gabrielle shook her head.  “Will, it’s not something that can be taught.  Technique, sure.  Cadence, absolutely.  But the stories have to be a part of you.  And you can’t just tell them.  You have to live them, experience them, believe in them so much that they become your truth.”

Will gazed at her for a long self-conscious moment.  “That story was true wasn’t it?  You’re one of the people in your story.”

Gabrielle had no need to answer.  The truth was evident in her eyes when Will looked at her.

He slapped his hands on his thighs and stood.  “Well, my invitation stands.  You’re welcome to come stay with me... or not.  I’d like to spend some time getting to know you, I mean, as a friend.  I mean....”

Gabrielle finally took compassion on him.  “I understand, Will, really.  Trust me... when you’ve been around as long as I have, you learn to gauge the signs.  That is why your first offer took me so by surprise.  It just didn’t seem....”  She waved him off.  “Nevermind.  Buy me a drink and then we’ll see what we can do.

“Aren’t you afraid that people will talk, Will?  I mean, I’m just passing through.”

“Gabrielle, I assure you that anything people think about me having you stay in my house will only improve any reputation I have.  I’m considered the local idiot... another reason I think the humor me by letting me win the bardic challenge.  Preparing for them keeps me busy and out of trouble.”

“You don’t have a whole lot of confidence in yourself there, do ya, Will?”

He shrugged.  “Never had much reason to.  All my life, people have told me how stupid I am.  Kinda hard to get around it when it is all you ever hear.”

Gabrielle bit her lip, remembering all too clearly her life before Xena and the core of confidence Xena had managed to plant deep in her soul.

“I’ll tell ya what, Will.  I’ll come stay with you for a while.  Maybe... maybe we can find your truth.”

The walk back to Avon wasn’t a long one, but it was fully dark by the time they reached Will’s home.  “C’mon in.  It’s not much, but it’s home.”

Will lit the candles, handing one to Gabrielle and keeping the other for himself as he walked around the house lighting others.  The cottage was small but neatly kept and Gabrielle looked around with pleased surprise.  The main living area contained a good-sized sitting room with a large fireplace at one end.  The kitchen where she now stood took up the other part of the main room and it had a large fireplace as well.

Off to one side were two doors and Will opened one bashfully.  “This was my parent’s room.  It’s not much, but I’ve tried to keep it clean.”

“Are they dead?” Gabrielle asked kindly. 

Will laughed.  “Oh no.  My father was called to be a conner for the king.  I saw them today, as a matter of fact.”

“And they won’t mind...?” gesturing to the room in front of them.

“No.  They’re not here and I wasn’t kidding when I said your being here could only enhance my reputation.”  The young man colored.  “I just hope you don’t mind some of the things that will get said about you for being here... alone with me, I mean.”

Gabrielle placed a tender hand on his arm, causing him to blush even further. “Will, if there is one thing I have learned in my life, it’s not to let what other folks think of me become a concern.  I have to do what is right and best for me; the rest of it just falls to the wayside.”

Will thought about that for a long moment before smiling at her brightly.  “I like your philosophy, Gabrielle.  Goodnight.”

Without waiting for her response, Will closed the door and went into his own room.  Gabrielle looked around the tiny room with its neatly made bed and strong, plain furniture and nodded her head in satisfaction.  This could turn out to be a very pleasant interlude.

“Will, I’m telling you... that is NOT how it happened.”

The man threw up his hands in disgust.  “But Gabrielle, there’s just no drama... no tragedy.”

Gabrielle sat back and rubbed her tired eyes.  They had been working steadily for several weeks.  Or rather, she had been relating stories to Will and he had been twisting them around to ‘give them dramatic flair’ as he called it.  To Gabrielle, it was just messing up the facts.

“Will, why does there need to be drama?  Or tragedy?  Isn’t life hard enough without adding more ugliness to it as a form of entertainment?”

She rose from the desk.  “This was a classic love story, Will.  Feuding families, petty intrigues and a girl determined not to live without her beloved.  To the point she was willing to die rather than be wed to someone she didn’t love, or watch the one she loved do the same.”

Gabrielle started pacing.  “A boy who went so far as to cause time to repeat itself until a way was found to stop his beloved from committing suicide.  Not only that, but until a way was found to finally bring them together.”

“And it happened, Will.  I was there.  That day repeated itself for eight straight days until every single detail was taken care of.  And the couple did live happily ever after.  Rare, I know, but it does occasionally happen and it did this time.  I know.  We went back and visited them several years later.  They were still as happy and in love as they had been the first time I met them.”

Gabrielle blew out an exasperated breath.  “Why is it so hard to let them live happily ever after?”

She turned and looked at him for a hard moment before moving to the window.  “Is happiness worth so little anymore that you can just throw it away for the sake of drama?”

Will scrubbed his eyes and began speaking softly.  “No, it isn’t but the truth is, Gabrielle, true love is so, so rare....”  He held up his hand when she would have spoken.  “Let me finish, please.”

Gabrielle nodded and resumed a seat on the couch.  Will walked to the window and stood looking out with his back to the room.

“True love is so very rare Gabrielle.  Most of the world will never see it, much less be fortunate enough to experience it for themselves.  It’s like a faery tale.  If you end up liking your mate, your marriage is generally considered a huge success.”

He sighed.  “And the sad truth of the matter is tragedy appeals to people because it reminds them that things could always be much worse than they are.  Knowing that your neighbor is worse off than you tends to make you feel better about yourself.  It’s a terrible fact of the human condition, but it is also a very true one.”

“Besides,” he continued in a tone so soft Gabrielle had to strain to hear him.  “You told me to write what I know.  And I certainly have had my share of heartache in the romance department.”

Gabrielle put a hand to the back of her neck and rubbed it.  “All right, Will.  You do what you want with this one.  I’ll sit down and see if I can come up with a REAL tragedy for you.”

Will wondered what Gabrielle was doing.  It seemed to him she was simply sitting staring out into space for hours at a time.  He had no way of knowing she was reviewing centuries’ worth of memories trying to decide which tragic event she could share with him.

She reviewed her life at home, in Poteidaia before she’d met Xena.  Boring, perhaps, but somehow a missing lamb really didn’t qualify on the tragic scale.  Xena’s ‘death’ by Callisto’s dart; Xena’s death by the tree; her own near death by being burned alive.  None of them tragic because of their ending.

Her murder of Meridian; her rape by Dahok; Hope; her betrayal of Xena and Solon’s subsequent death; the months they had spent hurting and almost hating one another.  Very tragic and far too personal to share.  Just thinking of those memories made the bile rise in her throat.

Hope’s final death; Eve’s destruction.  Still not things she felt comfortable sharing.  And there was no way she was going to share Xena’s final act.  She had exposed far more of that story than she’d ever planned to share and she wouldn’t use it as the basis for yet another tragedy, although after all the time that had passed, the recitation of that story was as likely to make her mad as it was to hurt.

Her mind continued to wander through history, remembering the many different people she’d met along the way.  Finally near noon on her fourth day of contemplation, Gabrielle sat up straight and reached for pen and paper.  She knew what story she wanted to tell... very tragic and very true.

For days she sat, filling sheet after sheet of heavy paper with her long, fine strokes.  Will wondered if she stopped for anything.  She was writing when he got up in the morning and was still at it when he fell asleep at night.

Finally, after several weeks of writing, Gabrielle turned from her chair with a satisfied smile on her face.  She gathered the manuscript into her hands and held it for a long moment.

“Now, the events in these pages actually happened.  I was there, so I know.  This is a first hand account of what I saw and the things I know.”  She looked up at Will’s earnest face.  “If you decide to use this, you’re gonna have to change things so that the true story is hidden.  I have some ideas on how you can do that, but I’ll let you read the true history first.”

Silence reigned in the house then except for the occasional rustle of paper as William read.  Gabrielle waited until she was sure he was completely engrossed in the tale before she disappeared to take a bath.  She figured she was due a long soak after the hours she’d put in to crafting the story she given to Will.

Will was quietly setting the table by the time Gabrielle arrived back at the cottage.  She still had a thing for the great outdoors and she was so glad Will had a bit of a creek running through his property.  She loved a hot bath, but so much of her time in the last few weeks had been spent thinking of her life with Xena that she felt compelled to bathe as she had during that part of her life.  Besides, she had really needed to feed and that gave her the opportunity to do both without causing talk.

The smell of stew was thick in the air and Gabrielle seated herself at Will’s indication.  He placed a bowl at each place and set the bread between them.  Then he began eating, all without saying a word.

Gabrielle left him to his silence, respecting this need to process the story she’d given him.  How many times had Xena done the same thing, though with Xena, it had been as much in her nature to simply be quiet as anything else.

Will finished his bowl and rose to refill it, judiciously checking Gabrielle’s as well.  When he resumed his seat, he stirred the stew and cleared his throat to speak.

“That was a true story?” his voice was slightly hoarse.

“Yep,” Gabrielle said succinctly. She didn’t want to influence his thinking.

“Um... well... uh, you were um... you were right about the tragedy involved.  I would never have come up with something like that in a million years of thinking.  It probably would have driven me to drink, actually,” he offered with a wry smile.

She raised her cup to him and he returned the salute.

“It’s a powerful story though.  Do you really think we can change it enough so people don’t recognize the basis of truth in it?”

“Oh yeah.  I’ve been thinking about it for a while.  Let’s finish dinner and we can sit down with a pen a paper.  Then we’ll see what we can come up with.”

Will rushed his meal, obviously anxious to get into the creative process.  As soon as he was sure Gabrielle was done, he removed their bowls and brought the paper to the table.  With a jar of ink in front of him and a sharpened quill in his hands, he sat ready for her comments.

Gabrielle cleared her throat.  “Well, the first thing I think we should do is add the Fates... make them witches if you like, but they need to be a consistent theme throughout, tying things together.”

“Oh, I like that... a little mysticism and occultism is just the thing to add an edge.  What else?”

“How ‘bout we make the feudal lord a king?  And instead of revenge, make the motive greed?”

The quill was moving swiftly as Gabrielle made suggestions and Will struggled to keep up.

“You want intrigue... instead of two sisters, have a husband and wife.  The wife wants her husband to become king and convinces him murder is the only way to achieve it.  The Fates... the witches could insure that the act will drive him mad.”

“Oh, I like this a lot.  What shall we call it?

“Well, where do you want to set it?  That will make a difference in the names that get chosen.  Only....” she paused.  “You can’t put it in Germany.  That’s where this happened.  We need to remove it from its origins.”

“Hmm... Scotland maybe?  We could call it... Mac... something.  MacDuff? MacDonald?  Macbeth?”

Gabrielle thought about that for a long moment.  “I like that... Macbeth, Lady Macbeth... has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it?”

Will grinned big.  “Yeah, it really does.  Bet we could stir up some nice rumors about the name too.”  He laughed heartily.  “Thanks, Gabrielle.  I think I have found my voice.  This is gonna make us famous.  They'll be putting this play on everywhere... indoor theatres, in the park, maybe even open air theatres by the sea.””

Gabrielle smiled.  “I’m glad, Will.  You’ve been very kind to me and a good friend.  Will you do something for me though?”

“Anything, Gabrielle.  Name it.”

“Keep my name out of it.  All I did was put you on the right path, but these stories are gonna make you famous.  I don’t want to be famous, Will.  I can’t be.”

Will gazed into the green eyes across the table and suddenly saw an ancientness there that he hadn’t noticed before.  Whatever her secret was, it was one she had carried for a long time and he felt himself nodding his agreement.

“I feel funny taking your stories, though.  I expected we’d share credit....”

Gabrielle clasped her hands over his.

“Will, I’m giving you the stories.  You can take them and rewrite them anyway you want to.  Give them your special touch of dramatic appeal, all right?  It’ll be my pleasure to say I knew you when.”

Shakespeare flushed.  “You’re a very special woman, Gabrielle.  Thank you.”

Gabrielle shrugged.  “I just do what I do, Will.  It’s the only way I know to be.”

“Well, I’m glad to have had the chance to know and work with you, even if it has to stay between us.”

“Trust me when I tell you it’s better this way.  You’re destined for great things, William Shakespeare.”

He blushed again and rose rapidly, trying to cover his embarrassment.  In his haste, he knocked his wine over, landing cup and liquid squarely in Gabrielle’s lap. She stood and grabbed her napkin, brushing the stain briskly. 

“Out, damned spot!  I just washed this outfit!”

“Sorry, Gabrielle.  I....”

“Don’t worry about it, Will.  It’ll come out with a bit of scrubbing.  Let me go change and we can get back to work.”

“Where will you go now, Gabrielle?” Shakespeare asked her as they walked together back towards the town where they had met a year earlier.  Gabrielle was not competing, but she had promised Will that she would stay long enough to watch him win.

“Germany, I think.  I have a hankering for a good beer and they make the best I’ve ever had.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.  You should make a trip over and try it.”

“Maybe one day,” Will commented.  “Thanks to you, I have so many ideas... so many stories I want to tell, it’s gonna be years before I get done telling them.”

“I know how you feel, Will.  That’s why I know you’ll succeed.”

Shakespeare won the contest and he split his winnings with Gabrielle.  She tried to refuse, but he wouldn’t let her and rather than make a scene, she accepted the purse gracefully.  Then she hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek, disappearing into the fog of the night.

Gabrielle was happy to set foot on solid land again, though sea travel really didn’t bother her much, thanks to Dite’s talisman.  But she needed to feed again and she really was looking forward to a good beer.

She made her way into Munich.  It hadn’t been quite a century since her last visit, so she was shocked speechless to see a credible likeness of herself set up in one of the market squares.  Gabrielle approached a vendor who looked hard at her, turning and deliberately studying the statue before looking back to Gabrielle.

“You a descendent?” the man asked, motioning to the statue.  “Never seen anyone who looked like her come through here before.”

Gabrielle shrugged.  “I dunno.  Who is she?”

The man shook his head.  “I don’t rightly know her name.  It’s not mentioned in any of the stories.  But she’s the one who convinced Duke Wilhelm IV that beer needed to be nothing more than barley, hops and pure water.  Made all the difference in our brewing process and our beer.”

Gabrielle rubbed the back of her neck remembering clearly the fight she’d had to convince them and the gratitude they’d responded with when they had tasted the difference.  She had never counted on a statue, though.  She looked up and realized the man was waiting for her response.

“That’s an incredible story.  Um, where can I get one of these beers?”

The man pointed.  “Tavern’s three buildings down.  Got the best beer in town.”

Gabrielle nodded. “Thanks, friend... for the tip and the tale.”

“Anytime, pretty lady,” doffing his cap and giving her a half bow.

Gabrielle moved towards the tavern when her talisman ring began to glow and tingle.  It was the pre-arranged signal she and Dite had agreed upon to indicate a safe time for Gabrielle to visit Olympus.  She smiled.  It had been a long time since she’d seen her friend the love goddess and she missed the somewhat ditzy, blonde presence as a constant in her life.  She was looking forward to the opportunity to see Aphrodite again.

“But first, I’m gonna have that beer.”

Chapter XXXII

“Ooo, Sweet Cheeks!” Aphrodite cooed excitedly as she wrapped Gabrielle in a fierce hug.  “I can’t tell you how totally stoked I am about having you here.  I have missed you sooo much!”

Gabrielle returned the hug fiercely.  It had been forever since they’d seen one another and it felt so good just to be back with someone who knew her, knew things about her that no one else could and someone that she knew and trusted.

For long moments, they simply held one another, until Dite finally pulled back to take a good look at Gabrielle.  She ran a hand through the long blonde hair, gently tracing the plains of her face before coming to rest on Gabrielle’s shoulder.

“You look really good, Sweet Thing.  Totally radical.”  She tugged on Gabrielle’s hand and drew her over to the chaise, plopping down and patting the space beside her. 

“I just can’t get over how different you look... so strong, so bodaciously fit, so... I dunno, at peace, maybe?”

“Maybe,” Gabrielle answered.  “I’ve learned to live my life to its very fullest.  I’ve made some great friends, done some fabulous things, experienced a lot of new discoveries first-hand.  And I know now, without a doubt, where Xena is... well, relatively speaking.  I just have to wait for her to get there.”

Dite shimmied.  “I sooo cannot tell you how I am like, looking forward to *that* reunion.  Gives me the tingles just thinking about it.”

The love goddess was so completely lost in her fantasies that she missed the shadow that crossed Gabrielle’s face at the mention of her reunion with Xena.

“So,” Gabrielle said after a few minutes of silence.  “What happened?  I mean, I didn’t actually expect to ever get to come back here... not with Ares here and knowing the way the rest of the Pantheon feels about me.”

Aphrodite picked at the silky material on the chaise.  “Well, Ares isn’t, like, ya know here... stirring up more of those radical war things in Turkey or some such.  As for the others,” she shrugged gracefully.  “It took ‘em a little while to, you know, get over the bitchin’ and moanin’, but they did eventually realize that Xena did them a totally awesome favor.”

Gabrielle looked up at her in surprise.  Dite looked up through her lashes, easily reading the unbelief on Gabrielle’s expression.

“No kiddin’, babe!  The move to Rome did some totally awesome thing to their power bases.  They had you know, centuries of massive power they wouldn’t have otherwise.  It was a majorly bitchin’ rush while it lasted.  Besides, Artemis was absolutely whacked over the fact that her Amazon babes found a new place to like, flourish.”

“And the rest?”

“They really don’t have the power to waste worrying about something that happened nearly two millennia ago that was ultimately a good thing for them, ya know?”

“So they just don’t care?”

“Nah, not really.  They mostly just get together with some of the other gods, ya know, like I do with Ch’uang.  They spend a major amount of time just rehashing the past.”

“Do they know about me?”

Aphrodite shook her head.  “No one has said a word and trust me, babe. I woulda heard.  These chicks gossip worse than a bunch of old hens after a night with a rooster.”

Gabrielle couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up, though whether it was due to the expression falling from Aphrodite’s lips or the comical look on her face as she said it, it would have been hard to say.  Regardless, she laughed until the tears streamed down her face and Dite couldn’t help but join in, though she didn’t know *why* she was laughing except that the sound of Gabrielle’s laughter was infectious.

Finally the laughter slowed with only the occasional giggle or hiccup to mar the silence.  It took several attempts, but eventually Gabrielle was able to look at Aphrodite without sputtering back into laughter again.

“Whew!” she said with a grin, waving her hands in front of her face to help cool the flush she’d developed with all her laughing.  “Gods, I needed that.  I haven’t laughed like that in... ever.”

Dite chuckled.  “Me either.  But what were we like, laughing about anyway?”

The question was enough to nearly send Gabrielle back into the throes of laughter, but she quelled the urge with supreme effort.  Taking a deep breath, she turned to Aphrodite.  “Well, *I* was laughing at the visual you gave me... Somehow picturing Athena and Artemis and the rest as chickens strutting around in the yard was just not something I ever expected to hear coming from your lips.”

Aphrodite sat there for a long time thinking about this with a very serious face.  Finally she nodded.  “Okay... whatever.  Now,” brightening and changing the subject, “I have a totally gnarly surprise for ya.”

Gabrielle blinked.  “A surprise.  Aphrodite... you didn’t have to....”

Dite covered Gabrielle’s mouth.  “I know I didn’t.  But trust me, Cutie.  This is one rockin’ surprise.  You’re gonna love it... I promise.  Now, close your eyes.” 

Gabrielle gave her a look and she waved her hands impatiently.  “Close ‘em and no peeking.” Dite rose and reached for Gabrielle’s hands.  “C’mon.  It’s in the other room.”

Gabrielle walked slowly, holding onto Dite’s hand and trusting the goddess not to run her into anything.  When they crossed the threshold, Gabrielle heard the slight whirring noise of the world wide god web and figured maybe Aphrodite had news of Xena.  She clenched Dite’s hand in reaction.

“Whoa, babe!  Chill!  You’re gonna damage the merchandise holding on like that.  Take it easy, will ya?  It’s not Xena,” she started, then felt the slump of the body behind her.  Aphrodite turned and pulled Gabrielle into her arms and simply held her as the tears slid down her cheeks.  Tenderly she wiped the wetness from Gabrielle’s face.

“Im so sorry, Gab.  I never thought about this raising your hopes.  I would never, ever tease or set you up like that.”

“I know, Dite.  I’m just so tired of waiting.  I don’t think I realized how long eternity was until just then.  I feel like I have been alone forever and sometimes....”  She stepped back from Aphrodite and wiped her eyes before opening them.  Dite sucked in a breath at the loneliness that was apparent in the depths of those green eyes.

“Sometimes I wonder what will happen to me if I don’t find her.  Aphrodite, I’m not sure I could bear that.”

“Oh you will, Little One and I for one am sooo totally looking forward to that rockin’, reunion,” wiggling her hips and shimmying just the slightest bit.  “I am expecting serious love vibrations and a way gnarly power surge to be headed my way over that one.”

Gabrielle chuckled wryly.  “Yeah, well, I’m still waffling between kissing her and killing her when I do find her.”

Aphrodite snorted, glad to see Gabrielle’s sense of humor reasserting itself.  “Well, if you kill her first, you can kiss and make up later.”  She paused in thought pinching her lips between her fingers.  “Though, you could skip the fighting and go straight to the making up... although I’m betting a good fight would make the making up even more delicious.  On the other hand....”

“Dite!!”

Aphrodite stopped her vocal musing when Gabrielle said her name so emphatically.  “Hmph?” she hummed against Gabrielle’s hand on her lips.

“Please, you’re making my head spin with all the coulds and could nots.  I have to find her first.  Now,” deliberately changing the conversation, “where’s my surprise??”

Dite squealed and clapped her hands together.  “Oh, this is so cool.  Check this out.”

She led Gabrielle over to a small marble table near the god web.  “I know you’ve been hiding your scrolls whenever you pass through Greece.”  She put her hands behind her and began pacing allowing her glasses to appear when she resumed speaking.

“I’ve taken them, a few at a time and transcribed them, putting them into book form for you.  Then I put them back where you hid them.”  Dite looked directly at Gabrielle.  “I, you know, figured you like, had them there for a reason.”

“You read my scrolls?”  Gabrielle swallowed, never having thought that anyone would ever read her scrolls.  She’d made sure to put them in the one place she was sure no one, not even the gods would look.

Dite shook her head.  “No, not really.  I mean, not much.  I mostly saw bits, um... little things.  The um, the god web scanned them in and when I was done with everything I could, you know, find, I printed them up.”

“Why?” a hoarse whisper.  She knew very well how personal some of those scrolls had been.

“Why what?”  She turned and noted with alarm that Gabrielle was sporting a pallor instead of her normal healthy complexion.  “Gabrielle?!?”

Gabrielle closed her eyes and focused on breathing.  When she felt her world equalize, she opened her eyes and gave Dite a tremulous smile.

“I’m sorry, Aphrodite.  You just caught me a little off guard.  I never thought anyone would ever *find* my scrolls... much less *read* them.  There was some really personal stuff in there.  That’s why I hid them in the....”

“... tomb Hephaestus created.  I know.  I wondered why you went in there.  When I found the scrolls, well, I thought it would be a radical surprise for you.”  Dite took off her glasses and faced Gabrielle squarely.

“I’m sorry Gabrielle.  I didn’t mean to upset you.  I was just tryin’ to do something nice for ya.”

Gabrielle covered Dite’s hands.  “You *did* do something nice for me.  I just wasn’t expecting anything like it.  I’m sorry I hurt your feelings going off like that.  I know you better than that.  Now, can I see them?”

Dite looked at Gabrielle for another long minute, seeing her color return.  Then she walked over to her desk and removed four large, leather-bound volumes.  Then she came back to the marble table and set them down with a loud thump.

“You’ve written a lot there, girlfriend, you know that?”

Gabrielle nodded, too stunned by the intricate tooling on the covers to say a word.  She let her hand run over each cover, noting the different insignia Aphrodite had inscribed into each one.  Finally, she drew a shuddering breath.

“Thank you, Aphrodite.  These are... fantastic.  Can I... share them with you?”

Dite smiled and clapped her hands, bouncing around like a little kid in her excitement.  “I was sooo hoping you were gonna share, cause it was mega hard to be good when I was puttin’ these things together. You’ve had some gnarly adventures.”

Gabrielle caressed the cover of the first journal.  “I really have and I’ve met some of the most interesting people.”  She opened the book to the first entry and noted it was dated in the upper right corner.

“You put them in order?”

“Well, yeah.  I mean, how else would you read it?  That’s how I got to see bits... you know, looking for the dates and stuff.  You could get a massive amount of info on one of those scrolls of yours, ya know.”

Gabrielle nodded and smiled.  “I know.  Xena used to tease me about that.  She said I could get more stories onto a single scroll than should be physically possible,” she added with a chuckle.  She looked up at Aphrodite.  “How did you get it all into four journals?  I’ve done a lot in the centuries I’ve been around.”

“No kiddin’, babe!  I will not tell you the massive amount of ink and paper it took to copy those scrolls.  But it was worth it, if you like them.”  Aphrodite looked down bashfully.  This was probably one of the most intensely personal and intimate things she had ever undertaken that didn’t involve sex in some way.  She was a little unsure given Gabrielle’s initial reaction.

Gabrielle rose from her chair and moved around to where Dite sat hesitantly, opening her arms and embracing the love goddess when Dite clasped her in a hug.

“I love them, Dite and I love you as well.  Thank you for looking out for me,” she said softly.

Gabrielle didn’t see Aphrodite catch the tears that fell from her eyes.  But she felt the light kiss brush the top of her head and heard the whispered words, “That what friends do for each other, Gab!”

After a lengthy embrace, Dite had her emotions under control and pulled back.  “Now, c’mon.  I wanna read the good stuff!”

Gabrielle laughed and soon the two of them were pouring over the journals.

“I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this... how much I needed this.”

“Me too, bardic babe!  And I can honestly say I sooo haven’t had this much radical fun or laughed so hard in like, ages.  Now you be careful, will ya?  I know my bro has been way busy with his war stuff lately.  Otherwise, he’d have, you know, popped in on me.”

“I will, Dite.  Thanks for caring.  It means a lot to me.”

“Well, make sure you come say good bye to me before you leave, if you can, all right?  Time’s gotta be getting close.”

Gabrielle nodded.  “I hope so.  I’m ready for this to be over.”

Aphrodite pushed the bangs off Gabrielle’s forehead.  “I know,” was her soft response.

Gabrielle sighed as she overlooked the city.  Even from here she could smell the coppery scent of blood and felt her teeth elongate in response.  It wasn’t something she wanted to feel, but it had been so long since she’d had the chance to hunt and feed, it was an involuntary reaction.  The fact that humanity seemed to be at war with itself again simply exacerbated the problem.

Gabrielle hadn’t been to Gaul in a very long time and nothing she saw now changed her attitude of the place.  Poverty was rampant and many people looked filthy and gaunt... as though they had been run into the earth and hadn’t eaten properly in years. 

Gabrielle had to be careful as she hunted.  She didn’t want to cause problems in what was clearly a troubled society, but she needed the blood.  She found a small pig and drained it, then carefully cured the meat to leave on some unfortunate’s doorstep.

The troubles this country now known as France was suffering through were staggering, but still she had wanted to do her bit to further the greater good.  So Gabrielle had traveled the countryside, doing what she could to alleviate the stress of the common people all around her.

Many thought her an angel and she didn’t correct them, letting them think that a mythological creature had come to ease their distress.

So it had taken her a very long time to reach the center of the city that had stirred her hunger and she’d had to travel back out into the country under the cover of darkness to fill her need.

Finally sated and sure that her gift had been accepted by a family that had shown her kindness, Gabrielle headed into the city to see what she could do there to help.

She found a tavern, clean with a decent house wine and sat down to rest for a bit.  After a bit of time, a group of French revolutionaries came in, loud and strident.

“Barkeep!  Dinner and wine all around!”

The man behind the bar nodded and within minutes the group was served.  Food and drink had calmed them all somewhat, much to Gabrielle’s surprise.  Her experience had taught her that spirits tended to make men rowdier and more rambunctious.

Without intending to, she found her senses sharpening and she easily honed in on the quiet conversation now flowing at the nearby table.  She ordered a meal to keep them from becoming suspicious of her motives, though her dress made her stand out anyway.

With a mental shrug, she directed her attention to the revolutionaries, nodding her thanks to the waitress as she set the meal in front of her.

“I’m telling you, we have to fine a way to stop the Scarlet Pimpernel.  Too many of the highbrow aristocrats are escaping because of him and his league.  If we want this revolution to be successful, they all have to die!”

“C’mon, Pierre.  The streets run red with their blood now.  What difference does it make if a few get away?  The country is ours.  They will never get it back from us!”

A smack to the back of the head made the speaker bite his tongue and he glared at Pierre who returned the look without flinching. 

“Idiot!” he hissed.  “Until we get them all, there is always a chance that they will return and try to recover what they think is their rightful place.”  Jacques nodded slowly, then Pierre continued speaking.

“Chauvelin has been ordered to find the Pimpernel.  He has put the word out into the streets.  One million francs for the Pimpernel, dead or alive.  Five hundred thousand for any other league member.  We can be patriotic and get rich at the same time.”

Gabrielle’s mind went back several months, to a time when she was working in a costal town.

When she had left Greece, Gabrielle had headed north and had walked until she reached the sea.  Then she had turned her steps westward, determined to conquer the unreasoning dislike she still harbored towards Gaul and its inhabitants.  She remembered far too easily what the land had been like under the Romans and she hoped sincerely that time had changed that.

She wandered near the coast for a while, finding plenty of families in need and realizing that they were in the midst of a revolution by the tales that floated across the countryside now and again.  But there were so many to help that she hadn’t made it into the city to confirm it.  Given what was rumored, she really wasn’t sure she wanted to.

Late one evening in July, she stood on a high cliff looking north towards England.  She had much better memories of that country now and was reminiscing about her time spent with Will.  He had surpassed her expectations and had become the most famous and prolific bard that country had ever seen.  She was glad.  He had been a good friend to her and had managed to turn many of the stories she’d shared with him into something greater than what she’d thought they could become.

Some were even stories he’d told her in the raw stages of their infancy and she was amazed at how polished the finished products had become.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a British schooner approaching the coast.  There was something furtive in its movements and Gabrielle easily dissolved into the shadows she was so familiar with.

The boat was hidden in a natural cove that kept prying eyes from seeing unless they knew exactly where to look. The men who exited the boat were dressed for stealth and secrecy and Gabrielle watched with interest as they made their way cautiously towards the city.

For several days she watched, wondering what had happened to the men, until finally, on the fourth night, they returned bearing one with them who walked blindfolded and gagged with arms pulled behind him and bound.

Gabrielle stepped out from the shadows, bringing the little parade to a sudden, unexpected halt.

“Step aside, m’lady,” a cultured English voice commanded, brandishing a sword in her direction.  “I have no desire to harm you, but you will not stand between us and the success of our mission.”

Gabrielle batted the sword aside as though it were of no importance and even less threat.  “You tell me your mission.  I will determine whether your night will end in success or failure.”

The masked man flung his cape back from his dark shoulders and laughed aloud.  “A delicate flower such as yourself, my dear lady?  Somehow....”

Whatever he had been about to say was cut off when two silk-clad arms flashed out and the man crumpled to his knees.  Half a dozen swords were heard being drawn from the sheaths, but no one moved when they heard Gabrielle’s words.

“I have just cut off the flow of blood to your brain.  So tell your boys to put their swords away and we’ll talk.  You’ve got about twenty seconds left before your brain shuts down.  Make your choice.”

The man sputtered and signaled his men who immediately sheathed their weapons and stepped back a pace.  Gabrielle walked forward again and her hands again rushed forward towards the man’s neck.  He gasped and fell forward, his arms catching him bare inches from the ground.

“Now that I have your attention... who are you and what are you doing?”  Gabrielle walked over to the man who was bound and calmly untied the ropes holding his hands behind him.

The prisoner released his own gag and blindfold, then turned his attention to the group still standing silently around him.  One rubbed his throat conspicuously and the others deferred to his action.  The man caught sight of Gabrielle and gently clasped her hand, raising it to his lips for a kiss.

“Madame,” he said with a deep voice and a French inflection to his words. “I am the Marquis du la Noire.  And this gentleman who has saved my life from the mobs of Paris is none other than the Scarlet Pimpernel, if I am not mistaken.”

The man still rubbing his throat rose stiffly to his knees and was then aided by one of the other of his band to stand on shaky legs.  The second man waited until his leader had his balance, then stepped back respectfully.

The first man swirled his cape back over his shoulders and extended an arm to the Frenchman.  “I am indeed, sir,” he confirmed with a hoarse voice.  Then he turned to Gabrielle.  “My apologies, dear lady.  I of all people should know better than to judge a book by its cover.  Will you walk with us?  I would be glad to explain our mission to you, but we need to get the Marquis to the ship with all due haste.”

Gabrielle considered.  The Pimpernel’s men had made no move against her, though they had certainly wanted to and except for misjudging her delicacy, Gabrielle snorted at *that* particular thought, he had been quite the gentleman.  Yet her doubt of him was plain, though she sensed no real danger from him.  It was simply a bizarre situation and her bard’s curiosity won out over whatever sense of danger the band of men had been projecting.

She nodded her consent.   Without another word, the men formed up around the Marquis and the Pimpernel took Gabrielle’s arm and placed it within his own.  Then he began to tell his tale.

He finished just as they reached the ship and he was much winded for the telling.  Gabrielle stood silently while he caught his breath, appalled at what she’d been told.  Finally, the Pimpernel was able to speak again.

“Now do you understand why we do what we do?  And why we make it look like a kidnapping?  We can’t do any good if we are locked up or dead.”

Gabrielle chuckled wryly.  “Yeah, I supposed being dead could put a real crimp in your plans,” thinking of the times it had caused her more problems than it had solved.  “I will keep your secret, Pimpernel and wish you success in your efforts.  I may not agree with the government, but I know I don’t agree with wholesale slaughter.”

“Neither do I, dear lady.  Neither do I.”

And since that time, Gabrielle had had several occasions to run into the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel and though she never directly contributed to their cause, she made sure he was aware of any goings on in the capital city that were relayed to her by the many travelers she met on her way.

This however, was the first time she herself had made it in and she wondered even now why she had finally come.  It had been dark when she arrived and she was curious about the overwhelming scent of blood that made her hair stand on end. 

When morning arrived, her curiosity turned to revulsion and for the first time in centuries, Gabrielle was physically sick to her stomach as she saw people cheer while others were beheaded.  The memories the vision of the guillotine stirred in her were horribly unpleasant, but the peoples’ rejoicing was sickening to a degree that Gabrielle could not abide.

She turned and pushed her way out of the press of bodies, shuddering each time she heard the blade fall and choking back bile with every glad cry that arose afterwards.

In her haste to leave, she didn’t notice the short military man standing at the edge of a platform with a hand tucked into his waistcoat as he callously watched the proceedings.  And she never saw the dark eyes of the taller man that flanked the general search the crowd, wondering what had suddenly caused his pulse to race.  Only one had ever done that to him and she had been dead for nearly two millennia.

Ares shook his head, putting the delicious sensation down to the blood that flowed so freely through the streets of Paris.  The purge was going quite well and soon the man who stood next to him would be ready to create a new empire.

“C’mon, Napoleon.  We have plans to make.”

The general looked at his mentor for a long moment before nodding his agreement. He had learned much from this man who was called after the ancient Greek god of war.  But soon it would be *his* time and the world would tremble when it heard the name Napoleon Bonaparte.

Gabrielle waited for the Pimpernel, wanting to say goodbye and to warn him of the escalated price on his head.  He thanked her for her warning and they parted as friends.  It wouldn’t be until years later that she learned his identity, as well as his whole story.

She turned her footsteps back towards Greece, having determined that she was ready to travel to the new land now known as the United States of America.  It was there she was sure that she would find Xena again.  There was something about it that called to her... had done so even when she was crossing through it the first time.  Besides which, Dite had practically confirmed it when they had traveled together briefly through it.

Gabrielle let her mind process all the places she’d traveled in that wild, untamed land and speculated just how much of it had changed in the centuries since she’d visited.  She hoped not much.  She wanted Xena to experience the beauty she’d seen.

Now her thoughts focused on Xena, wondering how she would react to being so far out of time and place.  She would be disconcerted, certainly and confused, but would she be angry?  Upset?  How would she communicate?  Would she make friends or would she try to do everything on her own?

Gabrielle smiled.  Knowing her warrior, she’d find every challenge she possibly could while she tried to figure out how to get home.

The sound of music drew her attention and Gabrielle walked off the road and looked around to find where it was coming from.  What she saw was something of a surprise and she made her way over to the young man who sat alone on the stage, apparently oblivious to the rest of the world.

She sat under the shade of a tree and let the music wash over her.  There was a quality that spoke to her and brought to mind several of the events of her life.  When it was over, she still sat, eyes closed, allowing the peace the memories had brought her to flow through her like sweet wine.  She felt the youth approach, but waited until he blocked the sun before she allowed her eyes to flit open.

“Did you enjoy the concert?” the boy asked with a hint of arrogance.

“Yes, I did,” she answered placidly.  “You play very well.”

“I wrote the piece myself.”

“Well, it was lovely.  I enjoyed it very much.  Is there a story behind it?”

He tilted his head.  He was used to a much different reaction, but strangely, he appreciated the honesty of this one.  He smiled and offered Gabrielle his hand. 

“Yes, there is actually.  My name is Richard... Richard Wagner.”

Gabrielle accepted his hand and let him pull her to her feet.  “Well, Richard Wagner, it is nice to meet you.  My name is Gabrielle. Perhaps you’d share the story with me?  And then I’ll share a story with you.  Who knows, maybe you’ll find something to write about from it.”

Wagner laughed.  “Come, Gabrielle.  I think my maman would love to meet you.”

And the teenager led the way to his parents’ home.

Continued...

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