Cassandra sat tiredly in the outer room of the palace. After some time, she had convinced Ephiny to at least sit down but she was still in Gabrielle's room. The young Queen hadn't uttered a word since Xena's body had been removed; the healer and the Regent had all but carried the Queen back to the palace. They had laid the bard on her bed and removed her bloody clothing and cleaned her but had gotten no response from her. She just lay there and Cassandra was growing more worried by the second. A quiet knock on the newly repaired door roused the healer from her thoughts and she pulled herself to her feet as Ariana entered the palace.

"What's the problem, Ariana?"

The younger healer wrung her hands, nervously. "It's Xena's body. There's something not quite right."

"What do you mean?"

"I think you'd better come and see for yourself."

The two healers stood looking through the doorway of the hut holding Xena's body. "I've washed the body twice and every time I leave, even if it is only for a moment, it begins to bleed again. She's been dead for more than a few candlemarks, Cassandra. That wound bled enough for there to be no blood left in the body. Another thing I noticed, you know how when you leave a body lying and the blood settles causing bruises?" Cassandra nodded. "Well, that hasn't occurred here. But, here's what really convinced me." The younger healer walked up to the body and put her hand on it once more. "She's still warm."

Cassandra hurriedly bustled over to Xena's body to confirm for herself what Ariana was saying.

After a hurried conversation with Ariana, Cassandra left the hut in search of Lissa. She found the priestess in the temple with her acolytes, cleaning up the mess left behind from becoming the infirmary during the battle for the village. She took the priestess to one side and explained the unusual condition of Xena's body.

"I have no idea what is going on, but I am loath to consign Xena's body to the funeral pyre without investigating this further," said the healer.

"I agree, especially with the circumstances of her death, and the involvement of the Olympian's in this matter. So what are we going to do?"

"I think we need to tell Ephiny, and maybe you could ask our patron whether she knows what's going on?"

"I don't know how receptive she would be to that; we have rather abused her patience. I get the feeling she knew something like this would happen, maybe even planned on it."

"So will you ask?"

"I'll try, but I can't promise that we'll get an answer."

"I'll be over in the palace."

Ephiny sat bolt upright, waking from the slumber as she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. Her eyes immediately went to the bard who was curled tight beneath the blanket that Ephiny had draped over her. The bard didn't seem to have moved since she'd laid her head down. She looked at the hand on her shoulder and followed the arm until she came to Cassandra's steady gaze. "Everything okay?" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and Cassandra gently squeezed her shoulder.

"Let's just say we have an interesting development." Ephiny raised her eyebrow. "Xena. I'm not quiet convinced she's dead."

Ephiny's face showed her shock. "What?"

"I'm not quite sure she's dead. Ariana came to me, earlier. She'd noticed some peculiarities with Xena's body."

"Peculiarities? Such as?" The Regent stood and motioned the healer out of the sleeping chamber, not wanting to wake the bard, especially to the news that her partner might not be dead. She'd hate to get the bard's hopes up over nothing.

"Xena's body hasn't cooled, and her wounds have not yet stopped bleeding." Cassandra sat in the chair she had vacated earlier as Ephiny sat down next to the fire.

"Do you have any idea what that could mean?"

"This couldn't happen unless…"

"The Gods," Ephiny stated flatly.

"I have asked Lissa to look into it." Cassandra looked over at the Regent to see her reaction.

Ephiny quirked her eyebrow again. "You really think Artemis will tell us anything after my little outburst this afternoon?"

Cassandra smiled at the Regent. "I rather think our patron was expecting it. It was, after all, a very stressful day."

"Yeah, it was. More for some than others." Her eyes slid over to the open door and Gabrielle's sleeping form.

Chapter Fifteen

Gabrielle opened her eyes as a scorching heat suddenly hit her. Startled by the sight before her, she nearly stepped over the edge of the ravine she stood upon. Hastily she scanned the area before stepping backwards onto surer footing. She was standing on a small, yet high, outcropping of rocks, surrounded on all sides by red-hot molten lava.

The bard flinched as a fork of lightning erupted from the black, boiling sky, striking nearby. As she let her gaze travel towards the horizon she saw that everywhere in sight was the same; small islands of land surrounded by a sea of crimson, liquid rock. Tartarus, she thought.

"Not quite." Gabrielle jumped at the voice close to her ear and her head whipped around searching for its owner. "It's about as close as you could come to it outside of the underworld, though." Gabrielle stifled the urge to take a step backward as Hades removed his helm and appeared by her side.

"So, we're not in Tartarus?" Relief from anxiety edged into the bard's voice. Now used to having the Gods appear, she showed only curiosity. "Then, where are we?"

"Come now, Gabrielle, surely you recognise the pristine landscape? You've been here before." Gabrielle let her eyes travel the horizon, again. But nothing triggered her memory of this place and she shook her head. "Well, I suppose it has changed a little since you were here last." Gabrielle looked at him from under hooded eyebrows. "This is Xena's dreamscape."

Startled by this revelation, the bard gasped. "It can't be, she's dead. Her body is lying in the Amazon Palace." She could picture the hut that Xena's body would be laid in; she'd seen it once before.

"Her body might be. But just because you have a body doesn't mean she's dead. You, of all people, should know that, Gabrielle. After all, you have been in this position before, haven't you?"

"But, I killed her." The gasp that had come from her as her hands had become slick with Xena's warm blood rang in her ears. "I drove a sword into her side." She could feel the impact as the sword had sliced into the warrior. "I held her in my arms." …the weight as her friend had crumpled to the ground. "She stopped breathing." …those last agonising words that had penetrated her heart so deep.

Hades turned to face the bard, his hand rising to her shoulder. "Gabrielle, I am the Lord of the Underworld; my sister is Death. Do you not think I would know if my favourite warrior was dead?"

"Then, where is she?" Gabrielle was almost afraid to allow herself to believe him.

"She's here, somewhere." He turned and waved his arm towards the horizon.

"Take me to her," the bard pleaded.

"I can't take you to her, Gabrielle. This is Xena's domain, not mine. I know she's here but I don't know where. You'll have to find her, yourself."

"But…"

"Gabrielle, nobody can solve this for you. I can give you time but nothing more." The God raised his helm. "I have things I must attend to. Good luck in your search, Gabrielle. I'll be nearby if you succeed."

"Succeed in what?" the bard yelled as Hades disappeared from sight. "Ahhh! I hate it when they do that," she grumbled to herself, then paused, a smile growing on her face, a bubbling well of joy erupting in the pit of her stomach. She's alive! "Yes! I knew she wouldn't leave me."

She let her eyes travel the landscape once again, seeing it in a different light. "So, now all I have to do is find her; that is, after I've devised a way of getting off this pile of rock surrounded on all sides by molten lava. Sweet Artemis, Xena, why can't you ever make things easy? I mean, lava? A raging river I could understand, but lava?"

********************

A cold wind swept through the door as Lissa stepped through, waking Ephiny from the light sleep she had drifted into, her body still trying to overcome the exhaustion she was feeling. The Regent managed a small smile for the priestess as she closed the door behind her. Cassandra got up from her chair and, using a stick, stirred the fire back to life and added another log.

"Storm's brewing, wind's started picking up and I think it's going to rain," said the priestess as she discarded the cloak she had worn around her shoulders. "But, you don't really want to know about the weather, do you?"

"Not really," the healer said, sitting herself back down in the chair.

"Did you manage to find anything out?" asked Ephiny.

Lissa walked over to the fire and curled onto her knees opposite the Regent. "I'm not too sure." She held her hands out to the fire to get the chill out of her fingers. "I asked and the reply I got was 'it is out of my hands.'"

"Have either of you noticed," all eyes turned to the healer, "that every time we've asked Artemis for an answer she's said that it 'wasn't up to her' or that 'it was out of her hands'?" Cassandra gazed into the fire then lifted her head slightly. "Makes me wonder whether or not we're asking the right God?"

"Well, who else could it be?" Ephiny clambered to her feet and wandered over to a small table filled with fruit. She picked up one of the wineskins and a couple of mugs before wandering back and settling herself down again.

Lissa shrugged her shoulders, but Cassandra, deep in thought, murmured "Who else? That's a good question." She took a breath and then continued. "Who else has an interest in Xena?"

"Ares." Ephiny handed a mug of wine over to Lissa and then passed one over to the healer.

"Yes, there is our friendly God of War. Anybody else?" Silence greeted her question and she looked at both of her friends. "I was kinda thinking of Hades."

"Hades?" asked the Regent and priestess at the same time.

"Well, who else could persuade Celesta not to take Xena. Who else has a vested interest in our warrior? A part of her does belong to him, and it is that part that has caused the problems, if I'm not mistaken."

"So, what are you saying?" Ephiny drank from her mug. "You think that Hades cooked all this up?"

"No. I think Artemis saw where this was going from the start and made contingency plans. She would have to have had Hades' permission before she gave Gabrielle the scroll; and Hades was the one who wouldn't let Xena return to his realm after the battle."

"But, isn't killing her a little extreme?" asked Lissa.

"Unless that wasn't supposed to happen," replied Ephiny. "What if what we are looking at here is a major miscalculation on their part?"

"In what way?" The healer shifted in her chair, leaning down towards the Regent.

"What if they underestimated Xena's response to not being able to return? From what Gabrielle has said in the past and from what we've witnessed, we know that Xena was unpredictable. Maybe they thought that just getting Gabrielle back into her life would fix things?"

"Then, when it didn't," continued Lissa, "when everything started to unravel, killing her was all they could come up with?"

"But, if we're right, then she's not dead, is she?" said Cassandra.

********************

Eponin slowly walked through the village, the wind ruffling her hair; she had told Ariana that she would go to the healer's once she had made sure that the village was secure. After everything that had happened today, she didn't want any intrusions in the middle of the night. She hadn't been surprised on walking the perimeter to find her warriors unsettled by the death of a legend, unsure of what was happening to their Queen. They needed reassurances that, despite the day's events, all would be well in the nation. The weapons master had tried her best to alleviate their worries, but how could she do that effectively when she had the same worries?

The flickering of torches illuminated the outside of the hut in which she had laid Xena's body earlier. The guards who had been stationed there would no doubt be inside on a night like tonight. She stood undecided and then her legs made the decision for her and took her into the hut. She nodded at the two guards, who stood to attention just within the doorway, pleased to see that they had the foresight to erect a partition between themselves and the warrior's body.

Stepping around the partition was one of the hardest things the weapons master had ever done. For some reason, she had never expected to Xena to die. She had always thought that, even when the world was old and crumbling, Xena and the bard would still be walking it. Even though she'd stood in this position before, gazing at the warrior's body, it still didn't seem entirely true.

Ariana had been busy. Xena's armour was placed beside her, gleaming brightly in the dim torch light; her leathers, repaired and oiled, were draped over a chair. The warrior herself was covered, up to her neck, with a light sheet but Eponin could see that her wounds had been sewn and dressed.

The weapons master moved closer, almost within touching distance. "This wasn't supposed to happen, Xena. You were supposed to come back and Gabrielle was going to make everything right. You weren't supposed to leave her, us, like this." Eponin felt the stinging that indicated that tears had appeared in her eyes. "Damn it!" Her hand slammed down on the monolith where Xena's body lay. "You promised her." The first tear escaped and slowly rolled down her cheek.

The weapons master raised her hand and gently brushed the hair from Xena's face, pausing as she felt an unusual warmth to the warrior's skin. A slight frown crossed her face and she trailed her hand down to the warrior's neck, to feel at the pulse point, but felt nothing. But her mind was now stirring, questions being asked. She's come back before. Who's to say she isn't trying, this time? She stepped back and wiped another tear quickly from her face, staring intently at Xena's body before turning and leaving the hut faster than she had entered.

********************

Gabrielle had given up walking around the small island she had awoken on; she had walked for several candlemarks. At least, she thought it was several candlemarks--the scenery didn't change morning, noon or night and so she had no frame of reference by which to judge. Still, she had finally sat down after figuring out that there was no way for her to get off the island to those that surrounded her. Indeed, she didn't see how it was possible for her to get about in this landscape.

She sat with her chin in her hands, her elbows resting on her knees. Every now and then, an idea would surface but she would quickly discard it; having no tools available was limiting. What I really need is some rope, she mused. No, no, what I really need is a bridge or, better yet, I need this place to turn back into the meadow it used to be.

"Damn it, Hades! A little help wouldn't go amiss here!" she yelled at the top of her voice, getting no response. "Typical. Always interfering when you don't need them and, when you do, nowhere to be found." She went back to contemplating her predicament.

********************

Eponin trotted across the compound, heading directly for the palace.

Activities in the village had ceased for the day. The Amazons were safely in their dwellings, quietly discussing the day and remembering those who had fallen, or curled up tight, holding loved ones close. Eponin knew that the Regent wouldn't have yet left the palace even if Artemis herself had ordered her to. The weapons master needed to talk to her friend; things weren't quite right and she could feel an energy in the air.

Eponin nodded at the two guards as she took the palace steps two at a time, knocked on the door and walked in. Cassandra, she noticed, was sitting comfortably in a chair in front of the fire, which had burnt low. Ephiny and Lissa were resting on pillows on either side of the fire and all three faces turned in her direction as she entered. The weapons master smiled at her friends, the excitement at her discovery shining through. "I've just come from Xena's hut and there's something I think you ought to…"

"We already know," said Ephiny, waving Eponin over to join them. "We were just discussing our options."

Eponin walked over and crouched next to the Regent. "Has anyone…"

"Did you get your shoulder seen to, yet?" interrupted Cassandra, peering intently at the warrior.

"No, I've had more important things to see to," replied the Amazon. "Besides, Ariana did a good patch in the forest." The weapons master turned and let her brown eyes engage in battle with the healer's grey orbs. "She's a good healer, Cassandra," she said with quiet stubbornness.

The healer smirked at the weapons master, knowing that she was going to regret letting Eponin get away with not following her instructions. "I know she is. Still, let me have a quick look at it to be on the safe side." The healer pointed to the floor next to her and Eponin slid over and sat next to her as she fussed with the bandage.

Lissa quietly watched the interplay between her three friends, regarding Eponin with special interest. Most people looked at her as just another warrior, all blood and battle, but, to the priestess, she was the greatest of friends. She was someone she felt safe confiding in, someone who supported her without question. She often wondered if their friendship came anywhere near the devotion that she had seen between their queen and her warrior. She felt drawn to her in a way she had never felt for anyone else. She sighed, thinking of things that would most probably never be, then spoke. "You were about to ask something, Eponin. What was it?"

The weapons master didn't lift her head from watching Cassandra's ministrations. "I just wondered if anybody had checked on Gabrielle?" Cassandra's hands stopped and Eponin lifted her eyes to see her three friends looking at each other; then all eyes focused on her, before they all scrambled to their feet and rushed towards Gabrielle's sleeping chamber.

Ephiny gently touched Gabrielle's face, letting out a relieved sigh as she felt the warm tickle of her friend's breathing caress her palm. She looked up at the others and smiled. "She's okay; she's still with us. A little cold, though."

"Try waking her up," suggested Lissa.

Ephiny frowned. "Why?"

"It's just a feeling I have. Try it."

The Regent knelt beside the bard and shook her shoulder. "Gabrielle," she whispered into her ear. Ephiny shook harder as she got no response. "Gabrielle?" Louder this time. Ephiny felt her hand being taken off the bard as Cassandra nudged her away. She sat back and watched as the healer gave Gabrielle a quick examination.

"I can't see anything wrong," said the healer as she finished. "She's had an exhausting day, though, and with that wound as well, it's not surprising we can't wake her."

"You're saying this is normal, then?" asked Ephiny. The healer just shrugged.

"Excuse me for being extremely stupid here but doesn't anybody think this is entirely too coincidental?" Eponin had all eyes focussed on her again. "I mean, here we have Gabrielle asleep, breathing away, but cold as death and unrousable. And, across the square, we have Xena dead but still bleeding and feeling warm?"

"We know something's going on, Eponin, we're just not sure what," replied the Regent.

"Would Artemis know?" inquired the weapons master.

"I've already asked Artemis, but she either can't help or isn't inclined to." The priestess was beginning to show her frustration at this repetitive question and the god-awful answer she had to keep giving to it.

Eponin looked at the priestess and thought for a moment. "Did she say anything about us helping?"

"No, but how can we help?"

"Well, Xena is wherever she is and Gabrielle is never far behind, despite their little misunderstanding. Just thought they might be together."

"You're thinking that they might be back in Xena's dreamscape, aren't you?" Cassandra then shook her head. "Can't be. Xena's dead."

"I thought we had decided that we couldn’t be sure of that," said Ephiny.

"Even if they are in Xena's dreamscape, we can't get there. Her brain isn't active, no matter what the Gods have done."

"Gabrielle's is, though," injected Lissa. "If they are bonded, then it would be safe to assume that Gabrielle is trying to find Xena."

"Yeah, to give her Tartarus for leaving her again, no doubt," quipped the weapons master.

"My point is that you are right, Eponin. We can't get to Xena's dreamscape but we could get to Gabrielle's. And it stands to reason that, if they are bound, then that would be Xena's, as well."

Ephiny looked at the healer. "Is there any danger in trying?"

"No more than when we did it last."

"We should move them both to the temple." Lissa paused as she went over the things that they would need for the ritual. "We have everything we need over there and nobody would question moving Xena's body there."

"Okay, let's get things sorted out," said Ephiny, giving the sleeping Queen one last glance.

********************

The silent God stood, invisible to the bard, on the small island she had arrived on. His frustration at the lack of progress was growing in proportion to Gabrielle's who didn't have a clue on how to get off of the thing. The young woman's curses were becoming more and more detailed, the last one involving himself and the anatomy of a mule. He sighed, not knowing whether he could give her any more help without attracting the attention of the fates. It wasn't as if he were doing anything wrong, exactly, but they were surely aware of his connection to the warrior. They had already allowed the Gods to manipulate her life thread to a greater extent than they allowed most. Would they object to more tweaking?

"They'll figure it out if you do it." Hades looked over at the dark, swarthy figure who had appeared by his side. "I'll help her."

Hades couldn't help the grin that started to form on his face or the laugh that started appearing. "You are going to help the pesky sidekick? Oh, please, try another one. I haven't had such a good laugh in ages."

"Fine, you don't want me to give her a shove in the right direction, I won't."

"No, no, by all means." Hades waved his arm in the direction of the bard. "Be my guest."

********************

Ephiny stood and surveyed their efforts; getting Gabrielle to the temple hadn't been a problem. Eponin had insisted on carrying the bard, without help, until Cassandra had threatened her with a stay in the infirmary. She had grudgingly capitulated then, and allowed Lissa to help her. Ephiny had noticed an atmosphere around those two lately and wondered if anything would come of it.

Getting Xena's body to the temple had been another matter. They had decided that waking the whole village would most probably not be a good idea. So, they had just used the guards available. But, as with most things in the Amazon village, nothing stayed quiet for long and it seemed as if most of the village was now awake.

Xena and Gabrielle lay side by side; together, they seemed to fit. It was hard to think of one without automatically placing the other by her side; they were right together. In the past few seasons, it was as though something had been trying to pry them apart and this time it had almost succeeded. In all the times that the Amazons had stood beside the two, facing the dangers that hounded their lives, this one had a sense of finality about it. Either they would get them back together, secure in the knowledge that they were meant to be with each other, or neither of them would return.

The Regent was certain, now, that there could be no future for Gabrielle without the warrior by her side. So, once again, she was preparing to send her Amazons into battle for them; Gabrielle was too much a part of the nation, of every Amazon, for her to do any differently. This time, though, Ephiny would be going, too. "Everything ready?" she asked, as Lissa came out from her private chambers.

"Yes, we just need to get you there, now."

"There won't be any problem with that, will there? I mean, you are going to have to ask Artemis for the blessing?"

Lissa noticed the worried tone to the Regent's voice. "She said that her hands were tied in helping Xena and Gabrielle. She never said anything about helping us to help them. There won't be any problem."

"Okay, let's get on with it, then. Eponin?" She looked across at the weapons master. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she replied and settled herself on the pallet.

Ephiny looked over to Cassandra and quirked an eyebrow at her and the healer nodded. Ephiny was just climbing onto her pallet when the temple door opened.

"I'm going, too." Kiaya stood by the door, her face haggard, a quiet desperation showing in her eyes.

"Of course you are," stated Ephiny, surprising the healer and priestess but unable to deny the pleading look in the Amazon's eye.

********************

He stood as close as he could to her to see if she had picked up any of Xena's talents now that Artemis had let the brat bond with his chosen. Then he rolled his eyes; he could most probably walk through her and she wouldn't notice, she was that focussed on cursing various Olympians about her plight. Still, things had to be done, so he supposed he'd have to get on with it. Without thinking, he materialised. Not a flicker; she still didn't realise he was there. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the irritating blonde."

Gabrielle jumped at the voice behind her but immediately recognised it as her nemesis in the battle for Xena's soul. She turned round to face the God of War. "What is it with you guys? You running a tag team or something? One dumps me off and another comes along to make it harder?"

Ares could tell that the little bard was beyond frustration and well into the realms of fury at her predicament. "Just curious to see whether you had figured it out, yet."

"And why would you be curious to see whether I figured it out?"

"Well, you are here to get tall, dark and gorgeous back, aren't you? And, if I'm not mistaken, even if she has lapsed into a 'goody two shoes' for a while, she is my chosen. I kind of miss tormenting her."

"You miss tormenting her?" spluttered the bard, her anger at the God making it difficult for her to get her words out.

"Hey, it's a good enough reason for me. So how are you doing?"

Hades was lying, thought Gabrielle. This is Tartarus. And he's sent this image of Ares to torture me.

"I had thought you'd be a lot further along, by now," said Ares, when he got no reply from the bard.

"Yeah? Well, all you have to do is click your fingers and you're there. Things are a little different for us mortals. This is Xena's dreamscape, not mine. I can't do anything." Gabrielle wanted to stamp her feet and throw a two-year-old's temper tantrum but refused to do so in front of Ares.

"You know, I'm really disappointed. I had thought that, being a bard, you would have known better but I see I'm going to have to point you in the right direction. Gabrielle, Xena is dead! Well, sort of. She can't have a dreamscape; well, not by herself, anyway."

"Ares, just spit it out, will you?"

So much for the discreet shove in the right direction. Might as well go for the obvious. "This is your dreamscape, too! You're bonded, remember?"

"Does that mean I can change things here?"

"To some extent, but this is also Xena's dreamscape, so any changes you make she will know about. I suggest you keep to small changes like cooling the lava between landmasses as you wish to cross. I doubt that will alert her to your trying to find her."

"She knows I'm here, though, right?"

"Yes, she knows you’re here but right now she's secure in the knowledge that you can't find her and that anything you might try she can counter. You know her better than anybody else; the only way to defeat her is to use her own strengths against her. She can destroy anything else here except you and herself."

The God of War started to walk away from her. "Ares! Wait! Why are you doing this, seriously, I mean, no jokes?" The bard was still unnerved that the God of War was helping. The last time he had a reason for his aid, he benefited as well as Xena. This time she wasn't so sure of his motivation.

The God turned and studied the bard for several moments. "I have my reasons."

"I know you have. I just need to know that we won't be beholden to you for your help. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'd rather she were dead than back in your hands."

"Even if it meant your death?"

Gabrielle didn't hesitate or flinch at his words. "Even if it meant my death."

Ares thought for a second then walked up until he stood right in front of the bard, then looked down. "The fun of Xena, little girl, is not the capture but the chase."

Chapter Sixteen

I should hate him, I really should, thought Gabrielle, as the God of War disappeared from sight. He's waltzed in and wrecked our lives so often; then, just when I get to the point where I know I hate him, he helps. It's funny what people and Gods will do for love. The thought surprised Gabrielle. It had never occurred to her, before, that Ares actually loved Xena. Then again, he was

always hanging around like a jealous suitor; not that Xena would look twice at him, now. That brought a smile to her face and a laugh to her throat. How many times had she seen Ares storm off in a huff because Xena had, not so politely, told him to stuff it? She had to admit, though, even if it was begrudgingly, that he had helped out on a few occasions and that if it hadn't been for him Xena would still be walking around in Callisto's body. Then again, it was his fault she'd been swapped, anyway.

The bard settled herself down onto the rock beneath her and thought about what Ares had told her. My dreamscape, as well, huh? Start off small, he'd said. She looked down to her hand which had absentmindedly picked up some of the fine gravel from the ground. Okay, I'll start small. She concentrated hard on the gravel in her hand, imagining what it would feel like if it were the soft sand of the beaches she had seen with Xena. She imagined how it would feel as it ran through her fingers. She saw it change: it was as though someone had thrown a rock in a lake, almost a ripple effect, as the gravel altered form into the sand she had wanted. Cool. When we get out of this I'm telling her I get to decorate this place. Her smile turned into a grin that, for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, she felt confident. She closed her eyes again and concentrated. When she opened her eyes, sometime later, the outcropping she had been sitting upon had changed back into the meadow-like field it had once been. It had taken a lot of effort on her part, and she felt tired, but at least in this torturous place she had a small spot of serenity. Gabrielle sat in her little area of paradise for a candlemark or so, deciding on how to proceed. One of the first things she needed was help. She knew that, like her previous trip to this realm, Xena was her concern, but having friends along to help would be a great benefit. Wonder whether they're asleep or looking after

me? Hope I don't disturb any good dreams.

The temple was dimly lit. Although all of the torch holders held torches, very few had been set aflame. Lissa had had her acolytes stoke the fires in the outer rooms, ensuring that the heat spread throughout the vast space of the main hall. She waited patiently by the altar as the three Amazons settled in their pallets. She resisted the temptation to go and tuck Eponin in, though her heart was

crying out for her to at least say something to the weapons master. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the ritual to come and only opened them when Cassandra touch her elbow.

"They are ready," said the healer.

"Okay. Let's begin, then." Lissa turned and collected some burning incense and water that had been blessed by their patron, Artemis. She approached Ephiny, first, and slowly walked around the Regent, trailing the smoke from the incense around the pallet where she lay. Then she gently anointed her head with the cool water. Approaching Kiaya next, she noticed how the past day had taken its toll on the Amazon. When they had finally managed to get Kiaya to leave Xena's body at the hut, Lissa had assigned one of her acolytes to watch over the grieving Amazon. The young girl had reported that Kiaya had fallen into a troubled sleep, waking frequently from nightmares, but refusing to talk about the terrors plaguing her.

The priestess knew that Kiaya felt responsible, in some way, for the situation that they now faced. As she knelt by her side to anoint her head, she whispered into the woman's ear. "Nothing you could have done could have prevented what happened today. The Gods don't appreciate the hurt their malicious games inflict on mere mortals." She kissed Kiaya's forehead and rose, turning to Eponin.

Kiaya heard the priestess' whispered words but nothing could alleviate the pain or the guilt she'd felt when she'd seen Gabrielle's face. Despite Lissa's claims, she also knew that the Gods would have had a much harder time had she not been a willing accomplice to them. When the acolyte had told her about the whisperings of huddled meeting between the leaders of the nation, and that they were moving Gabrielle and Xena to the temple, she'd known that there was a chance to redeem herself. She had burst into the temple, expecting to have to argue her case, but Ephiny seemed to

understand how she felt and hadn't even questioned her request. What they were about to face would be nothing like their previous experience. Xena's psyche had taken a beating even before the battle for the village and her knowledge of Hades' apparent betrayal. Whereas before, Kiaya had been sure of Gabrielle's ability to appease the warlord in Xena, she was doubtful that any of

them would be able to calm the storm that had been raging as she had died. Still, it was her duty to protect the Queen. But, more so, on this journey, it was her duty to bring back her friend and mentor.

Eponin felt her nose twitch as the ceremonial incense wafted over her. The stuff had always made her sneeze and she tried to stay near the doors for most of the indoor ceremonies so she wouldn't disturb the priestess in her work. This time, it wasn't an option, and she had to fight the urge to scratch at it for relief.

"Just scratch, Eponin, I'm sure Artemis won't mind." Lissa's voice by her ear made the weapons master jump and she cracked her eyes just a little, so she could see her face, then grinned and quickly wiped at her nose.

"Thanks," said the weapons master, dropping her arm back down to her side.

"You're welcome. You promise to come back safe and sound, now, you hear?" Lissa's resistance to her friend crumbled at such close quarters and she couldn't let her go off into danger without giving her a hint of the affection that she felt.

"Only if you promise to make one of your famed apple pies," came Eponin's quick response, startling the priestess somewhat.

"I'll see what I can manage," replied Lissa, a blush slowly colouring her face.

Even though Gabrielle had succeeded in turning the stone outcrop into a small piece of grassland, she hadn't totally believed she'd be able to bring one of the Amazons into the dreamscape. At first, she hadn't been too sure of whom to try and bring to her. On one hand, a warrior would have made her more secure. But, when she thought hard about it, she knew that was ridiculous. Nobody could

beat Xena. Even if she were tied up and totally naked, her partner would be able to fight off an army. In fact she had done it. Well, she wasn't naked at the time but I was injured and that counted as a big hindrance. So, after all that, Gabrielle was rather surprised when she opened her eyes to

find not only Ephiny, whom she'd been trying to bring, but also Eponin and the ever faithful Kiaya. "That certainly worked out better than I expected," she muttered to herself, wondering whether she should wake them up or leave them to wake naturally.

Cassandra stood back, quietly watching Lissa as she finalised the preparations for the ritual. She had a strange sense of déjà vu; it was only a few months ago that they been in virtually the same position. At least, this time, everybody pretty much knew what to expect. Eponin and Kiaya were becoming old hands at travelling within the dreamscape. The three Amazon were already asleep, not needing any sleeping draught to help them this time, since they were all exhausted from the efforts of the last day. The rest of the village was gathered outside. A large fire had been built in the

centre of the square and it lit the surrounding huts and trees. Most of the Amazons sat quietly in small groups. A few of them started up a chanting prayer, which was quickly taken up by the rest. Cassandra heard the soft chanting from outside and silently joined with her sisters' prayer.

Lissa turned from the altar and approached the three sleeping Amazons. With a last glance at Eponin, she closed her eyes and concentrated on her task of getting her three friends into the dreamscape. It wasn't as easy as most of the Amazons thought. It wasn't just a matter of saying a prayer to Artemis; Lissa had to search out the slumbering consciousness of the three Amazons and guide them towards the dreamscape. It was a difficult task, but her prayer to Artemis allowed her to control the trance-like state she needed to be in to achieve her task. Her forehead creased into a frown as she searched for the three Amazons.

Cassandra knew something was wrong. Lissa had been still for over a quarter of a candlemark but hadn't made any of the familiar motions that the healer remembered from the last time that they had attempted this. "What's wrong?" she asked, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb the sleepers.

"I can't find them." The priestess tilted her head as though listening for something. "They aren't here. They've already gone." Lissa opened her eyes and looked at the healer.

"What does that mean?" Cassandra left her position and moved closer to Lissa.

"It means that, wherever they are, I didn't send them there."

"The Gods?"

"I have no idea but it wouldn't surprise me. They had their fingers in just about everything else. I guess we'll just have to watch and wait now." Lissa turned and waved to one of her acolytes and a door opened and the trainees walked to the sleepers and began to care for them. The special oils used to keep the body hydrated were opened and the fire of the temple stoked to keep the hall

warm.

"Yeah, we wait," said Cassandra, letting her gaze look out over the sleepers.

Ephiny felt the gentle shaking, and tried to bat the annoyance away with her hand, before the familiar voice penetrated her muddled mind.

"Come on, Eph, wake up." Gabrielle crouched over the sleeping Regent. She had decided to wait until they woke up, but after less than a quarter of a candlemark changed her mind, as she became impatient to get on with the task of finding Xena.

Ephiny opened her eyes and looked into the forest green ones of her Queen and friend. Then, she lifted her head to search out the landscape, seeing Eponin and Kiaya sprawled nearby. "We're here, then?"

"Yep. It was really easy, too. I didn't think I would be able to get you here, never mind Eponin and Kiaya." Gabrielle grinned at the Regent and patted her shoulder. "Let's wake the others up then we can be off." Gabrielle stood and held out a hand to help Ephiny to her feet.

"Er, Gabrielle, what do you mean you didn't think you would be able to get me here?" asked Ephiny as she grabbed hold of Gabrielle's hand and pulled herself up. Then she stared as her eyes saw what lay beyond the cool grass she had been lying on. The small island she stood on was grass-covered. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, but the Regent found it hard to reconcile what she was

standing upon to what she could see. Beyond their oasis of calm, an inferno raged; boiling lava erupted from hidden spouts, fires roared with intensity. Sweat popped out across Ephiny's brow, just thinking of the heat that must be surrounding them. Yet, she felt cool, even safe, where she was.

"I'll explain when we wake the others up," said Gabrielle's voice, startling Ephiny from her reverie. "That way, I don't have to explain it three times."

"Yeah, okay. I'll get Eponin."

"Eph." Ephiny turned back to face Gabrielle. "I'm really glad you're here."

"So am I," replied the Regent, meaning every word of it.

Eventually, all three Amazons were awake. Both Ephiny and Kiaya took great pleasure in teasing Eponin about her inability to rise, especially since she prided herself in being able to get up at the slightest noise. Gabrielle had them all laughing when she commented that it was widely known within the Amazon nation that the Queen was, in fact, the hardest to wake up. But that, as soon as

they got back, she would have a declaration read in the widest reaches of the nation informing them of the change in the holder of that title. Eponin was rightly mortified by her actions, which only had the Amazons laughing louder. But the release of the tension between them was welcome and reassured the bard that they would be able to complete the task she was about to set them.

"So, when are you going to tell us what's going on?" asked Ephiny, as the laughter died, looking at Gabrielle who was sitting across from her. Eponin and Kiaya slowly wiped the smiles from their faces and also set their gazes on their Queen.

"Yeah, I guess that, now I've got you here, I should explain." Gabrielle let her eyes drop from her friends to the grass her hands were playing with near her feet.

"You said, when you woke me, that you didn't think you could get me here, never mind Eponin and Kiaya. What did you mean by that?"

"Well, I'm not sure what control I have here but I do have some. I needed help and, well, the Amazons were the only ones I could turn to. So I concentrated on getting one of you from your own dreamscape and, when I opened my eyes, all three of you were here."

The three Amazons looked at each other. Eponin raised her eyebrow to Ephiny, and Kiaya shrugged her shoulders. Ephiny looked back at Gabrielle wondering whether she should tell her about the ceremony that Lissa had just performed to get them here. Gabrielle saw the glance that passed between the Amazons and felt her confidence falter slightly. "You're about to tell me that I didn't get you here, aren't you?"

"To be honest, Gabrielle, I'm not sure," replied Ephiny. "All I can tell you is that we discovered certain things back at the village. Things like Xena's body isn't cooling and Ariana couldn't get her wounds to stop bleeding. We were in the palace discussing what we were going to do when Eponin asked if you were all right. We couldn't wake you up and you were as cold as ice. Lissa and Cassandra thought you might be on the dreamscape, so Lissa performed the ceremony to send

us here." The Regent held her breath wondering how Gabrielle would react to her news.

Gabrielle shocked them all by smiling. "Well, that fits. Hades told me she wasn't dead but I couldn't figure out how she could be alive. Celesta must be staying her hand to find out how we do here. The Gods owe Xena; I owe Xena. They're giving me time to bring her back. They know that, if they take her, they will have to take me and that wouldn't fit with their plans at all, would it?"

Kiaya looked at Gabrielle with a deeper understanding. Since her return to the village, she had seen Gabrielle work through her complex feelings for the warrior. Now she was showing the type of commitment that Xena needed. "So, if this fails and we can't get her back, you're telling us that you will go with her? Why?"

Gabrielle looked intently at Kiaya, reading easily the emotions she was showing in her face. "It's simple, really. I can't live without her by my side. Those months that we were separated... they were the hardest I have ever lived. I'm not going through that, again." The bard's face took on a determined look. "I woke up here and I thought I was in Tartarus and you know what? It didn't bother me. That was where Xena always said she'd end up and, if that was where she was, then I was happy. Then, just as I was thinking that, Hades appears next to me and tells me this isn't

Tartarus, this is Xena's dreamscape." Gabrielle's eyes shone as she told the Amazons how she was given another chance to return to her warrior's side. "You can imagine my reaction to that. Here I

was, convinced I was going to spend my time searching Tartarus for Xena... believing I'd killed her. Then the God of the Underworld turns up and tells me, nope, she's not dead, you just have to find her." Gabrielle laughed. "Well, that was easier said than done. Have you seen this place?" Her eyes looked out over her little island of peace into the raging infernos just beyond. "So I sat here

wondering what to do, feeling a little sorry for myself. I don't know how long I sat here, but it must have been for quite sometime. I didn't know where to start, how to get off the island, or anything. I couldn't believe my eyes when he turned up. I was positive that he was here to gloat. But he was actually here to help."

Eponin sighed, knowing she was having a bad day but having to ask the obvious before she was totally lost in Gabrielle's explanation. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but who turned up?"

Gabrielle grinned at the weapons master. "Ares."

"You're kidding me? Ares turned up and helped?"

"Oh, come on, Eponin, he's helped out before. Admittedly, when he's going to

benefit, but he has helped before."

"So, what's he going to get out of it this time?" inquired Ephiny.

"I'm not sure, but he knows it won't be Xena. I told him I wouldn't find her if that were the price we were going to have to pay. Anyway, he told me that this wasn't only Xena's dreamscape; it was mine as well. He told me that I had the power to change things here, that all I had to do was use my mind and believe. He was right. I changed this island into something more comfortable and I

thought I brought you here but I see that may not be the case, now."

"So, all we have to do is find Xena? Doesn't sound too hard, unless you take into account that there are three of them out there," said Kiaya, as she stood and dusted herself off. "We ought to start looking. If I remember correctly, this place is big."

The first obstacle they had to get across was the yawning chasm between the landmass they were on and the one they wanted to get to. They had settled the question of which direction by choosing to cross to the largest piece of land they could see. Ares had suggested cooling the lava to cross but none of them, including Gabrielle, were eager to walk across a thin crust with boiling lava beneath. So, Gabrielle had demonstrated her new skills and constructed a bridge over the molten rock. The three Amazons stood and watched in awe as, before their eyes, an intricately styled bridge began to form and reached across to the opposite side of the chasm.Gabrielle opened her eyes and smiled at her creation. "Who's first then?" she asked.

"A simple bridge would have done, you know." Eponin was staring at the ornate carving that was still appearing on the structure.

"What else do you expect from a bard?" said Kiaya, stepping without second thought onto the bridge and walking across.

"Yeah, Ep, what else do you expect from a bard?" said Ephiny, patting the weapons masters shoulder and walking past.

Eponin looked at Gabrielle's smiling face. "What is this, pick on Eponin day, or something?" she grouched, following the others, with Gabrielle bringing up the rear.

They travelled for several candlemarks with Gabrielle providing for their needs, and designing the various methods of crossing the lava flows that ran between the small islands they searched.

One of the main concerns the Amazons had was lack of weaponry. Gabrielle assured them that it would be available if it were needed and why carry the extra weight when you didn't have to. Neither Eponin nor Kiaya was entirely satisfied with Gabrielle's reasoning so the bard had relented and given them both a choice of weapon. Kiaya opted for a sword and crossbow; Eponin had selected a sword and several throwing daggers. Ephiny hadn't asked for anything but Gabrielle

provided a sword for her and created a staff for herself. She still wasn't convinced that weapons were necessary but her Amazons felt more secure with them. She had made them swear not to use them unless there was no other option. Violence had helped to get them here but she wasn't so sure it would get them out.

Gabrielle looked up, then froze, and her heart chilled as she stepped from the newly constructed bridge her mind had built across the rapidly flowing lava. A familiar sensation washed through her, increasing her heart rate. She stepped to the side as Ephiny gently nudged her to allow herself, the weapons master and Kiaya off of the bridge.

"You okay?" the regent inquired, noticing the bard's distraction.

"Yeah. For a minute there I had the strangest feeling." Gabrielle smiled at

Ephiny. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

"You sure?" The bard nodded.

"You know, you're still leaving green footprints." Ephiny had been startled to find that, wherever the bard trod, grass and flowers would sprout. The whole landscape was changing just as a result of Gabrielle's passing. Even though Gabrielle had explained that this was her dreamscape, as well, and that she was able to change things with just a thought, Ephiny still found it remarkable that the young girl's eternal optimism and belief that they would somehow get everybody, including Xena, out of this mess, alive, was showing itself as tiny blue pansies and daffodils in a bed of meadow grasses.

"Sorry, I don't seem to be able to put a dampener on that."

"No need to be sorry. It's great to see this place changing for the better in front of our eyes. Now are you going to tell me what put that look on your face a second ago?"

"Can't get anything past you, can I, Ephiny?"

"Nope, now tell me what's up."

Gabrielle took a deep breath and looked around the island they'd stepped onto, it was larger than any of the others that they'd crossed which was one of the reasons that Gabrielle had decided to try for it. Eponin and Kiaya had wondered a little ways off to check the immediate area so weren't within hearing distance of their regent and queen. "Xena's on this island."

Ephiny immediately became alert her hand straying to her sword. "Where?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I'm not even sure which one it is, but she is definitely here on this island."

"What do you mean you're not sure which one?"

"I mean, I don't know if this alter ego is the one of death, the warlord or my Xena. I can't tell; all I can say is that I can feel her presence. Come on, let's catch up with Eponin and Kiaya, then we can go find her."

Ephiny watched silently as Gabrielle strode off. She didn't know why searching for Xena didn't sound like a good idea. After all, that is why they'd come to the dreamscape. Maybe it was just the thought of the temper Xena would be in if she remembered who'd actually killed her. I hate this. Nothing is ever simple when Gabrielle and her warrior are about. Xena is not going to be in a good mood when we find her, and Gabrielle is rushing in where I certainly fear to tread. What if it's the big bad "I want to kill everybody" Xena? I suppose we can always argue that she's not actually dead but I have the feeling that that won't carry much weight. Ephiny sighed and then slowly followed her Queen, silently berating herself for her lack of faith in the bard.

Kiaya and Eponin had taken on their scouting role with enthusiasm. Kiaya was just happy that they were doing something to get the warrior back and she was praying to the gods that getting her back this time would work out better than the last. She had been wondering, since this whole sorry mess had started, whether either Gabrielle or Xena regretted their decision to unite Xena's personalities to release the warrior from the dark and silent world she had fallen into as a result of Ares priests. Did Gabrielle look back now and wish that she'd never followed the ex-warlord on her travels? Did Xena regret not forcing the bard to turn back? Or was it, as Artemis planned, that the two never

had a choice in the matter? Kiaya stopped and surveyed the land from the small hillock she had climbed her mind absorbed by its musings but her eyes still picking out each minute detail of the land around her. Subconsciously disregarding anything that did not pose a threat; she was just about to turn back when her eye caught a glint in the distance. She paused, her eyes straining for more detail. The glint repeated itself and Kiaya realised that something was moving towards them. Automatically, she referenced the object with surrounding landscape so that she would be able to pinpoint it when she left her vantage point. Then, she quickly turned and headed down to the Queen and her Regent.

Eponin was across the other side of the small valley when she saw Kiaya's running figure heading towards Ephiny and Gabrielle. She took one last quick look and, seeing nothing suspicious, headed back to the small group.The two Amazon scouts reached the Regent and their Queen together, Kiaya trotting in just before the weapons master. "Something's moving towards us from the east. I couldn't make out what it was; just saw something glinting, but it had changed positions when I saw it again."

"What do you want to do, Gabrielle?" Ephiny asked, before the other two Amazons could make any suggestion. Ephiny knew that Gabrielle was the key to their survival here and that her confidence would need to be carefully nurtured. By asking Gabrielle her thoughts, Ephiny was hoping to show the bard that it was her wishes they would accede to; it was her they trusted to get them through

this.

Gabrielle was momentarily speechless as Ephiny asked her opinion. She knew that the Regent respected her in matters of the court and negotiations, but to ask her the way forward when she had two seasoned warriors by her side and something unknown heading their way was...was. She looked up at her friend and saw respect in her eyes, then at Kiaya and Eponin who were patiently waiting for her to decide what they were to do. "We stay here," she said, making her mind up. "Let

whatever, or whoever, it is come to us. And, if it is Xena, no weapons are to be drawn against her, no matter which one it is. Okay?"

"Are you sure that's wise, Gabrielle? We know how unpredictable Xena can be."

Gabrielle could tell by the tone of Eponin's voice that she was uneasy with her order. "Any other time I'd agree with you, but I'd say that Xena is having enough problems without wanting to get into any sort of conflict with me."

"What do you mean?" asked Ephiny.

"What Gabrielle is trying to say," replied Kiaya, " is that we only have a problem with one facet of Xena's personality and that the others would have been fighting her as hard as, if not harder than, we have. We know that Xena wouldn't have gone down without some sort of fight."

Gabrielle smiled at the Amazon who could read Xena almost as well as she could. "Kiaya's right. Last time we were here, neither the warlord, nor our Xena, was too keen to involve Hades' Messenger. But it was the only way that Ares' priests could be defeated. We already knew that Xena was having difficulty bringing herself back under control... which is what caused this whole disaster in the first place. We have no idea what state any of them will be in and I'd rather not antagonise any of them if I can help it; so, no weapons are to be drawn."

Eponin nodded her head. "In that case, shall we sit and rest until we find out what's coming?"

Gabrielle made the area comfortable, producing food, a few skins of water and a few boulders to utilise as back rests. They settled down to wait, boredom eventually urging them into a mundane conversation just to alleviate the tension. Occasionally, Kiaya or Eponin would move to higher ground to check the progress of what now they were able to discern as a person, and none of them

held any doubt it was one of the Xena personalities.

"Less than a quarter of a candlemark and she'll be here," Eponin informed the group, as she returned from her second trip up the small hill.

The warrior stopped some distance from where Gabrielle stood, patiently waiting for her to approach. The Amazons were several paces behind their Queen, carefully watching the warrior for any sign that she would attack Gabrielle. The warrior's attitude, though, was puzzling; she was tentative and had only come so close after cautiously searching the immediate area. At one point, Gabrielle had taken several steps forward but the warrior had correspondingly retreated. The

unusual temperament of the warrior was a major cause for concern. Gabrielle moved slowly forward, knowing that a sudden movement would almost certainly startle the already nervous warrior. She had never seen Xena like this, had never known anything that could instil this much fear into her partner. She was pretty sure, too, that this wasn't her Xena, but more likely

her warlord persona.

"It isn't a trick, Xena," called the bard, as she took another step forward. The warrior seemed to be contemplating whether to leave or not but the familiar voice held her in place. As the bard got closer, she was able to make out the healing wounds on the warlord's body, the rips and tears to

her leathers. The evidence before the bard was frankly disturbing. Was Hades' Messenger so powerful in this place?

The warrior made up her mind and with a quick glance around her walked towards the bard. Eponin and Kiaya tensed as the warrior moved but Ephiny's calming hand warned them from making any untoward action.

"I didn't think you would come here, again." The warrior's voice drifted to them.

"I'll admit, it wasn't exactly my first choice but it suited my needs." Replied Gabrielle, as Xena stopped before her. The damage her body had taken was even more apparent, now. "You look like Tartarus, Xena."

"What's new?" The warrior managed a smirk for the bard. "You shouldn't be here, and you shouldn't have brought the Amazons with you."

"Why not?"

"You brought me back to the village, Gabrielle. You should have thought before you did that. You sent me away because I wasn't able to control my anger and the violence that came with it. Did you really think that, after I came back, it would be any better? I was happy where I was; I was no threat to anybody."

"You were hiding, Xena."

"With good cause, considering what happened, don't you think?"

Gabrielle looked at the warlord, then back towards the Amazons. "Will you come and sit with us? I need to know what's happened here."

Xena threw her head back and laughed. The bard flinched at the slightly hysterical note it held. "Oh, Gabrielle, you don't want to know what's going on here. Go home; you did the right thing with the sword. Don't spoil all that good work."

The warrior would have seen the change in Gabrielle's face, as the Amazons did. But, unlike the Amazons, she didn't seem to be able to see what was going to happen. Which was, most probably, why she didn't defend herself, as Gabrielle's hand swung up and connected with her face. The resounding slap echoed across the silence. This time, all of the Amazons gripped their weapons, knowing that they wouldn't be able to get to the bard should Xena retaliate. But the warrior

didn't get a chance as the bard launched her attack with the most powerful weapon in her arsenal.

"You think I enjoyed having that sword in my hand? You think I enjoyed knowing the only way to stop you was to use it? How dare you!" Gabrielle's hand flew, again, and the warrior still made no move to stop her as it connected, again, with her face. "I can't believe you would think that!" She whirled around and angrily returned to the Amazons.

Kiaya kept her eye on Xena as Gabrielle joined them; she saw a smile cross the warrior's face before she turned and ran in the opposite direction.

"Well, that went better than I expected," said Ephiny, as the bard stopped by her side.

"And just what do you mean by that?" replied the angry bard.

"We're still alive?" came Ephiny's sheepish reply, as she realised Gabrielle didn't appreciate her comment.

"This doesn't make sense," Kiaya said, turning to the others. "When we were here last it was all we could do to stop her killing us. Now, she doesn't even react when Gabrielle hits her twice."

"I agree," said Eponin. "She wasn't aggressive enough for my liking; all she did was make Gabrielle angry at her."

"That's what she was trying to do." Gabrielle's voice broke into the Amazons' conversation, and her anger faded. "I'll never learn, you know that? Every time Xena wants to push me away she tries a different method. By making me angry at her, she's hoping that I'll leave."

"What do you want to do about it?" asked Ephiny.

"Eponin, will you be able to track her?"

"It shouldn't be to much of a problem, providing she's not bothering to cover her trail."

"In that case, we'll follow her."

Xena ran her long, tanned legs eating up the ground faster than most mortals could dream of. She didn't even try to hide her trail, knowing that the bard would eventually find her no matter how hard she tried to avoid her. That was one of the problems of being bonded to someone: you couldn't hide. And since she knew the bard would follow why make her more irate, by leading her a merry dance all over this godforsaken land?

Gabrielle and her three Amazons ran swiftly, their shorter strides not covering the same ground that Xena's had, and they knew that it would take time for them to catch the warrior.

"She's not trying to hide her trail," panted Kiaya

Ephiny suddenly stopped, Gabrielle and the others running some distance before they realised she wasn't with them. They stopped and turned, looking back toward the Regent.

"What?" yelled Eponin.

Ephiny slowly walked towards them. "What if she's leading us into a trap? What if she's leading us right to the Messenger?"

"Isn't that what we want?" asked Kiaya.

"No, not really. Though, I admit, we will have to face her at some point," replied Gabrielle. "But I was hoping to find our Xena, first. Still, I don't think this one is leading us into a trap."

"Why do you think that?" said Eponin, as she bent to take a closer look at the trail Xena had left, trying to determine how long ago the warrior had passed here.

"She was hesitant. I actually thought I sensed fear from her at one point. She also had a lot of healing wounds and bruises on her, been in one heck of a fight recently. And there is only one person I know who can inflict that type of damage on her and that's herself. So, I don't think she's leading us into a trap; if anything, she'd be leading us away. But I don't think she's doing that,

either. Come on, let's get going or we'll fall further behind." Gabrielle picked her pace up and began to run again.

"How long ago, Eponin?" the Regent asked, as she, too, started to run again.

"Less than a candlemark."

Xena had chosen the perfect cave for her hideout; that was her warlord ego's talent. She was able to think things through, look at problems with a critical eye, then channel the ferocious energy of the Messenger, or the gentle heart of what everybody thought of as Gabrielle's Xena, who was, in fact, nothing more than a child. The cave had a narrow opening and, at first glance, would look like nothing more than a fissure in the rock. But if you cared to inspect it more closely, it was the entrance to a vast cavern, beyond. The space the cavern afforded her allowed her to practise with her sword and chakram without having to step foot outside its protection. As the warrior squeezed through the narrow opening, she knew the bard would not be too far behind and that in a few

candlemarks she would have to explain the situation in full... and that was not going to be a pleasant task, even for a warlord.

Xena's trail ended as they reached a sheer, towering cliff, the black granite-like rock providing no tracks for Gabrielle and her Amazons to follow. The four friends stood at the cliff's base, staring upwards towards the blood-red sky.

"Well, she didn't go in that direction," commented Kiaya, "or she'd still be in sight. Not even Xena could climb this that fast."

"In that case, she's somewhere around here. Let's spread out and have a look around," said Gabrielle, getting more comfortable with her new take-charge attitude that Ephiny had been so eager for her to develop. "But, if you do find her, don't do anything stupid, will you? Just come get me."

Eponin and Kiaya grinned at Gabrielle's comment, not sure whether it would be easier to stand against Xena's anger rather than face Gabrielle's. At least, with the warrior, you knew what you were getting into; but, with the bard, things were more unpredictable.

They spread out, each taking a different section of the cliff that blocked their path and hid the warrior. There were no trees, not even the skeletal ones that they had seen in their last visit to this place, so the only place the warrior could be was within the cliff. It was finding the entrance that was the problem. Gabrielle, of course, knew where the warrior was but knew that taking the

Amazons with her would be a mistake. Xena had never been any good at showing weakness and the bard knew that her apparent defeat by the Messenger would be impossible to admit in front of the Amazons. But she needed to find out what had happened here, and where her partner was.

She needed to know what the warrior had tried to do to stop the Messenger and what she had learned. None of that would be possible with the Amazons standing over her shoulder, no matter how sympathetic they were to Xena. As soon as the Amazons were searching, she headed straight for the crack in the cliff face she had noticed as they arrived.

Gabrielle squeezed through the narrow opening, and a small passage it led to, before stepping into the massive space on the other side. Her emerald eyes immediately adjusted to the dark cavern, picking out the warrior's seated form across the scree-littered floor.

"You took your time." The warrior's husky voice echoed through the cavern, sending a rippling shiver down the bard's back. It sounded so much like her Xena, yet she knew it wasn't. She doubted anybody else would be able to tell the difference between the three, based on their voice patterns, but it was obvious to Gabrielle.

"Well, I keep telling you that your stride is at least two of mine. You could have slowed it down and I would have been here sooner." Gabrielle carefully picked her way over the clutter of the floor, arms spread to either side to help her balance. "And you can stop smirking; it's not funny."

"Yeah, but you can't see your face."

"Well, a little light wouldn't go amiss, you know."

"You can provide that for yourself, you know."

"I shouldn't have to, Xena. You wanted me here, so stop being pigheaded and light up." The warrior looked up to the darkness above her, grinning for the first time in ages, and slowly a gentle light began to appear.

"Is that better?"

"It will do, for now," replied Gabrielle, as she reached the small, flat area of rock that Xena was sitting upon. "So, you gonna tell me what happened?"

It didn't take the Amazons long to catch onto the fact that Gabrielle had disappeared into thin air. The only one who wasn't frantic with worry was Ephiny, which was unusual, considering the fact that it was normally she who worried most about their young Queen.

"Ephiny! Aren't we at least going to search for her?" Eponin had been trying to find the bard's trail but came up blank, the rock hiding the bard's as well as it had the warrior's.

"Will the both of you just calm down?" The Regent included Kiaya in her reprimand before she could throw her dinar in with Eponin. "Gabrielle is safer here than any of us, so why bother tearing our hair out trying to find her? Besides, she'll get more out of Xena by herself than with any of us hanging around her." Eponin and Kiaya looked at each other and decided that Ephiny was probably right. "Come on, let's sit down and wait for her. No doubt she'll be back soon."

"Next time she decides to go off on her own, tell her to leave some wine and food, will you?" Both Kiaya and Ephiny stopped and looked, mouths agape, at the weapons master. "Well, we might as well be comfortable, mightn't we?"

"You can tell her that yourself," replied Kiaya. "I'm not going to step into that one with you."

Gabrielle sat down next to the warrior, knees bent, her arms wrapped around them; the setting was almost familiar. All that was missing were the stars and a roaring fire. As if on cue, a small fire sprung up before them.

"You didn't have to run, you know. I could have told Ephiny and the others to make themselves scarce while we talked." Gabrielle was staring into the fire, allowing the warrior to consider her words in privacy.

"I know, but then it would have been on your terms and I feel more secure here." The warrior's voice didn't hold fear as such, more a feeling of trepidation.

"It's been bad here, hasn't it, Xena?" Even the warrior could pick up on the sorrow that the bard was trying hard to disguise.

"Things are always hard here, Gabrielle. They've just been more so, recently. It used to be that the three of us always worked well as a team, balancing each other out; but I suppose, in the past few years, your Xena has won out more than the rest of us. I guess this is payback."

"So, you're saying that this was inevitable?"

"She wasn't made to go saving the world, Gabrielle; she's been locked up for four years. I should have known she'd go a little crazy when we let her out. It used to be that I tempered them both; I made the decisions, decided which villages got taken and which we left. She decided how my army would do it, who died and how. Your Xena kept her heart alive, protected the women and children.

We worked in conjunction with each other. We were a team, and we were perfect."

Gabrielle reached her hand over and squeezed the warrior's shoulder. "You still are."

Xena angrily batted the bard's hand from her shoulder. "No, we're not! We're not balanced, anymore." The warrior stood and began pacing. "We don't balance each other out, anymore," She took a deep breath, "We need you to do that."

Crystal blue eyes bored deep into Gabrielle's soul. The bard knew that this was an admission that the warrior wouldn't, couldn't have made in front of anyone but the bard. It was the admission of weakness, an admission that the warrior needed someone to complete her. What could she say to that? How did she answer the warrior when she had no idea how to help her? She'd thought that coming here would solve her problems, that finding her Xena and bringing her back would make

everything right. But it wasn't as simple as that; Xena was, in essence, three people, none of whom could survive without the other. And it seemed, because of their bond, she was included in the mix.

It wasn't a matter of reuniting these facets of the warrior; it was finding a balance that each of them was happy with. Persuading a deliverer of Death that, sometimes, life was a better way. Encouraging the battered and gentle soul, that Gabrielle knew the warrior had buried deep inside, that she wasn't responsible for everything the others did. And she had to convince herself to come to terms with exactly what and who Xena was and accept the fact that she would always be that way. It couldn't be about changing Xena anymore; it had to be about coming to terms with who she was and helping the warrior come to terms with it.

"I'm not sure how I can help you, Xena. I don't know what to do here, but I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be. So, you tell me how I do this. Tell me how I calm the raging soul that is the Messenger? Tell me how I bring this balance about?"

"You think, if I knew that, we'd be here, now?"

"Xena, this isn't helping." The bard was getting exasperated with the warrior's defeatist attitude.

"Well, gee, Gabrielle, you want me to go against her again and get beaten to within an inch of not being here anymore?"

"Why didn't you and my Xena stand together?"

The warrior looked incredulously at the bard. "You don't get it, do you? The only reason we held together as long as we did was because we stood together. And I'll tell you something else: I got off a whole lot lighter than she did."

Not giving second thought to what she was doing, Gabrielle stood and slammed both of her hands into the warrior's chest, forcing her back against the cavern wall. "What do you mean by that?" Gabrielle's voice belied the fury that was building within her.

Xena looked down at the muscular body of the bard, noting the strain in her arms as she pushed her against the rock. The young girl had grown strong in Xena's absence, stronger than Xena had imagined. "I mean that if you think I look bad, now, then she's ten times worse."

"Why?" Gabrielle pushed harder against the warrior, not noticing her wince as the hard sharp rock dug into her already battered body, breaking open fresh wounds.

"She isn't a warrior in the same way we are. I was able to defend myself better."

"Why didn't you help her?" she yelled, pushing hard again.

"Gabrielle, please?" The pain in Xena's voice penetrated Gabrielle's rage. "My body is in enough pain as it is without you adding to it." Gabrielle relaxed her hold but didn't let the warrior go, somewhat startled that she had been able to inflict such damage to the warrior. She felt Xena's body relax, slightly.

"Thanks, I did help as much as I could, but we are talking about someone without conscience here, who is a lot stronger than I am, so I left."

Gabrielle's fury rose again at word of her partner's abandonment, and she violently forced this Xena back again onto the rock. This time, she let go and turned away from the warrior, not seeing her slump towards the floor. Breathing deeply, Gabrielle tried to calm herself. Her voice shook as she spoke. "You left her defenceless against her? How, in Hades' name, could you do that? How do you

know you didn't sign her death warrant?" Gabrielle turned to see Xena gasping in pain on the ground, fresh blood staining her leathers. She moved to help, but the warrior sent her a withering glare that stopped her in her stride.

"She was alive when I left her, so she's alive, now." Gabrielle saw the anger in Xena's eyes and saw what it was taking for the warrior to hold it back.

"How so?"

"Because the other's been after me since I left your Xena. Each day she starts anew tormenting me, harrying me, not giving me a moment's peace. I'm her plaything, not your Xena. Yours is too weak to provide her any entertainment, so she's left alone."

Gabrielle immediately felt guilt that she had believed this Xena would be any less noble than hers. "I'm sorry, I should have known better than to doubt you..."

"Why?" Xena struggled to a sitting position. "I'm a warlord, after all."

Gabrielle thought on Xena's comment and decided any reply would only make the situation worse. "So, how do we play this?"

"Go to your Xena," said Xena, attempting to get to her feet. Gabrielle desperately wanted to help but knew that any offer would offend the warrior.

"Maybe she'll be able to think of a solution. I'll keep our favourite personality off your back as long as I can."

"Where is she?"

Xena managed to stand straight. "Five islands to the north, still next to her little tree. Now get lost." Gabrielle turned to leave, but Xena spoke again. "Remember, she can't kill you here, Gabrielle, but she can kill the Amazons. Look after them well, or you might lose them."

Gabrielle stepped out of the narrow passage back into the outside world, watching the Amazons who were sprawled in various states on the ground. "Glad to see you missed me!" She almost laughed as the Amazons scrambled to their feet.

"Artemis' arrows, Gabrielle, did you have to frighten the life out of us?" yelled back Eponin as she picked up her sword and resheathed it.

"Did you find out what you needed?" Ephiny asked as the three Amazons reached Gabrielle's side.

"Not entirely, but I know where we're going now," Gabrielle replied and started to walk away from the cliff, instinctively knowing where she was heading.

"Is she going to help us?" Kiaya was looking back at the entrance to Xena's hideout.

"Yes."

"Then why isn't she with us?"

"She has her own things to do. Come on, I don't know how long we've got before that someone in a very bad mood comes looking for us.They travelled for what they knew were candlemarks but the landscape and the light that bathed it never changed, giving them any visual reference, but

Gabrielle made decisions without hesitation. Built her bridges without thought and walked on, stopping for rest only with reluctance.Gabrielle knew when they'd reached their destination. She could make out the small hillock in the distance, a huddled body at its base. Her eyes filled with

tears but she refused to let them fall. The bard picked up her pace, not looking back to see the concerned faces of her Amazons.

Chapter Eighteen

The tears that had been clouding Gabrielle's vision, and threatening to spill, escaped the imprisonment of her eyes. Now that she was closer to the huddled figure, she knew that this was finally her Xena. But her confrontation with the warlord hadn't prepared her for the devastation she was seeing before her. When she had previously met this incarnation of her partner, she had marvelled at her gentle nature, the beautiful smile that had graced her face so easily. To defeat the priests of Ares, it had been necessary for her to merge with her other two more violent personalities. It was clear to the bard, now, how much of a sacrifice that had been for the gentle soul of this Xena. She had obviously borne the brunt of the ravages that the other two so easily cast aside; the guilt from the death and destruction her combined self was capable of inflicting, unable to assimilate the anger that the other two so readily used to their advantage. It was a miracle that anything of the gentler soul remained; yet here she was, still safeguarding that small sapling that looked just as bad as its protector.

Gabrielle had been shocked at the emaciated form of her partner when she had appeared at the Amazon village, but it was nothing compared to what she felt now. The body before her was almost skeletal, every bruise and wound that had been inflicted during the battle for the village was graphically displayed, and the raven locks were thin and lacked the lustre that they would normally hold. The ground beneath her feet tilted as a wave of dizziness swept through her. She flung out her arm to balance herself and a strong grip took hold, keeping her on her feet.

Ephiny had been shaken by her encounter with Xena, the warlord, but no more so than when she had stood in front of the raging Xena in the village. The thought that what she had faced in the village was a mere distilled version of what they were likely to meet within this realm frightened her beyond belief. Gabrielle's conviction that they would be able to find "her" Xena had been all that had stopped her from saying they ought to quit. She knew that leaving without finding the bard's partner would be tantamount to signing the bard's own death warrant and her loyalty and devotion to her Queen had fought against it. But Ephiny, as Regent of the Amazons, had to consider the consequences to the nation.

As Gabrielle had become more adept at manipulating the landscape about them, Ephiny had come to believe herself that they might be able to win through. Now, though, as she stared at the shattered being before her, she wasn't so sure. How could anything be done to heal that? From what Eponin and Kiaya had said when they had returned from their last adventure with the bard, this Xena had been youthful, full of vitality. Surely nothing could restore this husk to that? The

Regent saw the bard sway and fling out her arm and she caught hold of her instinctively, providing support for the young woman beside her. Eponin and Kiaya heard the gasps from their two leaders as they finally reached the top of the incline they had been climbing, and hurried to catch up to them.

"Merciful Artemis," whispered the weapons master as she reached the Regent's side. "What in Tartarus did that?"

Kiaya stood silently thanking the form curled on the ground. If that is what hatred and anger can do to a soul, Xena, then I owe you more than thanks for the second chance you gave me. She understood that, if Xena hadn't shown her in their first meeting what an idiot she was, her inner being could have been as battered as the one before her. "What do we do?" she asked, without realising that she had spoken aloud.

Kiaya's unexpected question galvanised Gabrielle into action and she covered the short distance to her partner in four long strides. "We need a fire, some water and food," she said, without looking back at her three Amazon companions. She crouched next to Xena's head and gently brushed the hair that covered her warrior's face, feeling some semblance of relief that at least her features were

the same; even in this state, the bard would recognise her friend.

The three Amazons stood, wondering what to do. Gabrielle had said she wanted a fire, water and some food. Unfortunately, they had none of that with them. There was no wood to make a fire, no water sources anywhere within this realm that they had travelled so far and not one of them had a scrap of food.

Gabrielle looked up when she realised the Amazons weren't carrying out her requests. "What's the problem?"

"Can't build a fire without wood, Gabrielle, there isn't a river or stream that we can go to for water and, last I looked, we didn't have any food." Ephiny raised her eyebrow at the bard in expectation.

Gabrielle frowned, then realised that Ephiny and the others were waiting for her. "Oh, yeah, sorry." She closed her eyes and concentrated.

Eponin sidled closer to Ephiny and Kiaya as the landscape around and beneath her dissolved and changed. She couldn't help the crawling feeling that rippled through her as the reality of the dark brooding landscape changed into a breezy meadow. She almost expected to hear birds singing. It was, she also noticed, the biggest change that the bard had attempted. The hillock now looked familiar, the trees once again stood at the base and she could hear the chuckling of a stream

running through them. Several items were stacked nearby. In fact, the pile looked remarkably like the travelling equipment the bard and the warrior used when they were on the road.

Eponin nudged Kiaya and nodded over to the equipment. "Kiaya and I will get the water and firewood. I'll have a look around and see if there is any game and berries in those trees."

"Look for roots and herbs, as well, please. I'd like to make a broth and see if we can get anything inside her." Gabrielle's attention had once again returned to the warrior in front of her. The bard knew that altering the dreamscape to such an extent was bound to bring trouble, but the time for caution had come to an end. If they were to save Xena, then it was time for action, despite the

consequences. There would have to be a confrontation at some point with Hades' Messenger and, looking at her friend now, the sooner the better.

The two Amazons strode over to the pile of equipment. Kiaya immediately looked for weapons, which she found readily. The young Amazon wanted to be armed to the teeth, unable to believe that they had so little trouble getting here. Even when they had come across the warlord, she had been strangely subdued, and Gabrielle had very little trouble in dealing with her. Still, the warlord was a completely different entity altogether from the one who was yet to come.

The Amazons did well in their foraging, managing to find enough roots and berries to fill their stomachs. Ephiny got a fire started and began to make a thin broth for the warrior from the herbs, tubers and roots they had found. While they had been out searching, Gabrielle had set up camp around her partner, tucking a sleeping skin over her and settling her head onto the horse blanket

that had appeared with the rest of the equipment. The bard now sat by her, gently stroking her arm; her gaze looked out into the distance but connected with nothing.

Ephiny was hesitant to interrupt the bard's thoughts but decisions now had to be made on what they were going to do. So, leaving the other two Amazons to tend the fire and broth, she took a mug of warm tea over to the bard."Here, you haven't had anything to drink for a while." She handed down the mug as the bard lifted her eyes and gave her a slight smile. "How are you doing?"

"Better, now I'm here." Gabrielle looked at her warrior then back to the Regent. "What are Eponin and Kiaya up to?" asked Gabrielle, as Ephiny sat down next to her.

"Arguing, as usual."

"Do they ever give up?"

"Nah, they enjoy it too much. I'd worry if they agreed all the time. How's Xena?"

Gabrielle let her eyes fall from the Regent's face to Xena's. "It's funny, but every time I see her injured I have to look twice to make sure it's actually her. I'm so used to seeing her do the impossible that sometimes I forget she's only human." The emerald eyes moved back to the Regent. "I'm not sure how to get us out of this, Ephiny. I thought I knew; that all I had to do was get to her,

but it's not that easy."

"It never is, Gabrielle. What you have to decide is whether you're prepared to do what it takes to resolve the situation, now that we're here."

"But how do I make that decision, if I don't know what I have to do?" A gentle breeze blew in, ruffling the golden locks that fell to obscure the bard's face from the Amazon. Ephiny reached her hand forward and brushed them away.

"What did she say to you in that cave, Gabrielle?" The Regent's voice was soft. Ephiny knew that Gabrielle was discovering things about herself, here, that she might not have wanted to know.

The bard sighed, and let her hand gently rub along Xena's arm. "She said that they were out of balance; that, since she'd met me, her lighter side had gained more control and that she had been able to lock her darker side deep within her. But that, when they had merged, the dark side had to take control to free her and that even between the two of them they hadn't been strong enough to wrest it back from her."

"And?" Ephiny knew there had to be more to it than that.

"And that part of the reason they were unbalanced, was because I was now part of the mix."

"I see." And, to be truthful, the Regent most probably saw things in a clearer light than the bard did. Ephiny thought back to the weeks before Gabrielle had sent Xena away. The warrior had been unpredictably moody, almost to the point of violence, on several occasions. The Amazons had become increasingly wary of sparring with her. Even Eponin, who was known to tease the warrior for the challenge of trying to see how long she could stay ahead of her when the chase

started, stayed clear of her. The only times the Amazons felt truly secure with the warrior about was when Gabrielle was by her side. Even if the bard was unsure of her own safety and that of the Amazons, the Amazons had always known that the bard would remain unharmed by the unstable warrior. "And why do you think they weren't strong enough to stand against her, when they had been able to hold her for all that time?"

"I don't know; something fundamental must have changed to bring about this, but I don't know what it was."

Ephiny picked at the grass, knowing what she had to say to Gabrielle but not sure as to how the bard would react. "That surprises me, Gabrielle..." The bard stared into the Regent's face. "...because I think it's pretty obvious what changed."

"Well, I wish you'd tell me." Gabrielle let her doubt and confusion colour her answer. "Because, as I live and breathe, I don't see it."

"You changed, Gabrielle. You went from having unwavering faith in her, to believing her dark side would win. And because you believed that, so did she. You've always told me that Xena does all the impossible things she does because she believes she can. Xena didn't stay on her road to redemption because she believed she could, she stayed because you believed."

Gabrielle felt a trickle of moisture run down her face and hastily wiped it away. "I seem to do more harm to her than good, don't I?"

"No, Gabrielle, you've done more than anybody else could have, but you can't do it all."

"So, to resolve this, I have to give Xena faith in herself? Any idea how I do that?"

Ephiny smiled at the bard, pleased to see that some of her spirit was shining through. "I'm sure you'll come up with something when you need to, Gabrielle. I have faith in you." She squeezed Gabrielle's shoulder and looked deeply into her eyes. "And you're used to thinking on your feet, especially where Xena is concerned."

They sat like that for several candlemarks, Ephiny eventually returning to Kiaya and Eponin by the fire. Xena's broth was long finished and was kept warm in a crock in the hearthstones. At regular intervals each of the Amazons would pick up her weapon and scout the area, each time coming back with nothing to report. Eponin was nervous at the lack of reaction their presence was getting. She would have expected the Messenger to have appeared before now. And then there was

Gabrielle and her warrior; Gabrielle had made no attempt to waken the warrior, even when Ephiny had suggested it. The bard had just said that the warrior would wake when she was ready to, and nothing more.Kiaya took another look at Eponin who now had her dagger in her hand. It had

brought a wry smile to Kiaya's face when she'd first noticed how nervous the weapons master got when she was in a tense situation and inactive. The woman just couldn't stop fiddling with her weapons; she'd drop the dagger and start on her sword in a minute.

Ephiny saw the smirk growing on Kiaya's face and followed the direction of her gaze to Eponin. She heard the chuckle start as the weapons master threw her dagger into the ground and picked up her sword, running her thumb along the blade to test its sharpness. "Kiaya!" she called, pulling the Amazon's mirthful attention from the weapons master. Kiaya whipped her head around and raised an eyebrow. "Find yourself something productive to do, why don't you?"

"But?" the Amazon spluttered in confusion.

"Kiaya, just do it, will you?" the Regent replied in exasperation

.

"What's up?" Eponin inquired, her attention leaving her sword.

"Nothing, Eponin, go back to inspecting your sword."

Kiaya stood and dusted herself off. She tried to throw Ephiny a withering glare but it turned into a smile, and the Regent flicked her head and urged her away. Well, maybe Eponin deserved a break from her teasing, after all. She looked around and found her eyes straying to the bard and her partner. Gabrielle now had Xena's head in her lap and her hands were gently caressing the warrior's face. Kiaya inclined her head towards the couple, looking to Ephiny for permission to go up and talk to the bard. Ephiny shrugged and let the warrior make up her own mind.

Gabrielle heard the approaching footsteps, looked up to Kiaya's smiling face, and let a smile of welcome creep onto her face.

"You get bored, already?" asked the bard.

"Nope, but Ephiny won't let me tease Eponin anymore. So, I thought I'd come see if you were okay."

"We're fine, thanks. How are you doing?"

"Better, now that we are here." Kiaya's eyes fell onto the sapling that hadn't regenerated when Gabrielle had worked her magic on the area. "That doesn't look as good as it did last time we were here." The Amazon crouched down so that she was level with the bard and pointed to the forlorn plant.

Gabrielle looked over at the sapling, her hands still slowly stroking the warrior's face. "Almost looks as bad as its protector, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does," the Amazon replied quietly. "Lonely, too."

Gabrielle considered the sapling again, sat for a long moment just staring at it. "You're right, it does. Hold Xena for me, would you?" The bard lifted the warrior slightly and eased from beneath her, holding her until the Amazon had taken her weight.

"What are you doing, Gabrielle?"

"Something I should have done last time and Artemis knows why I didn't think of it, then." The bard lay on her stomach in the soft grass that surrounded the dying plant. She stretched out her arm, one finger pointing to the sapling until it just touched the twig nearest to her. Then she closed her eyes and concentrated hard.

Ephiny noticed Gabrielle's movement away from the warrior and halted her conversation with the weapons master to watch her. She was surprised that Gabrielle had let go of the warrior, until she saw where she was going. Eponin, realising she'd lost the Regent's attention, looked up from her sword and followed her gaze up to the bard. Her curiosity perked by something different happening, she sheathed her sword, stood up and wandered over to Kiaya and Gabrielle. Ephiny, seeing Eponin walk past her, dropped the piece of leather she was working on and got up and followed her.

Kiaya ignored her fellow Amazons as they reached her side; she was too intent on watching the sapling beneath Gabrielle's finger. If you just glanced at it, nothing seemed to have changed; but if you looked hard, the changes were there to be seen. The small trunk that held its branches aloft had thickened; small buds started to appear. Then the whole sapling sprung up in height, deep green

leaves sprouting from the small buds that had appeared. Gabrielle shuffled back from the sapling, a smile on her face, admiring her work.

"It's beautiful, Gabrielle." Ephiny's admiring voice drifted from behind the bard.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it? Not finished yet, though." Gabrielle reached up and snapped a twig from the newly regenerated sapling--well, it was more of a young tree, now. The twig was then implanted a hand span away from the base of the new tree. Gabrielle clasped her hands and rested her chin upon them and closed her eyes in concentration again.

The Amazons once more watched in fascination as the twig began to rapidly grow until it was the same height as its partner. Its branches stretched until they were entwined with its companion.

"There, that's much better," said Gabrielle with a satisfied sigh, her eyes firmly locked on the two small trees.

Kiaya was so focussed on the bard that at first she didn't notice the warrior stirring in her arms. A quiet groan from her alerted all of them to her awakening. Gabrielle quickly whipped round and moved back to Kiaya's side and the Amazon carefully handed back to the bard her precious charge. The three Amazons then backed away to give Gabrielle and Xena the privacy they would no

doubt need.

As Xena slowly regained her consciousness, Gabrielle kept up a continuous, reassuring, one-sided conversation, both of her hands in constant contact with the warrior's body. The bard felt her face break into a dazzling smile as she noticed blue eyes watching her. "Hi, there."

Xena opened her eyes and looked straight into the emerald green ones that she hadn't seen in so long that she wasn't sure they were actually before her now. She frowned as the familiar face smiled down at her and spoke in greeting. She was hesitant, but eventually raised her trembling hand to the bard's face and touched it.

Gabrielle let out the breath that she had been holding, as Xena's hand gently caressed her face and the frown left the warrior's face to be replaced by a tremulous smile. "It's really you," she said in a hushed voice

"Yes, it's really me," the bard whispered back.

"You shouldn't be here, it's dangerous. She could come back at anytime."

"I know, that's kinda what we were hoping for. See, we can't get you back unless she's been put back where she belongs. So, that's what we're gonna do."

"We?"

"Yeah, I brought Ephiny, Eponin and Kiaya with me."

"But, Gabrielle, I couldn't stop her even with the help of the warlord. How are you going to?"

"I'm sure I'll find a way." Ah, Xena, I'm not going to stop her; you are. You just need the proper motivation.

They sat quietly talking for some time, Xena vainly trying to persuade the bard to take the Amazons and leave, Gabrielle brushing off all of the warrior's objections with well thought out arguments. In truth, the warrior knew that, if Gabrielle's mind was made up, nothing was going to change it. Eventually, the bard parried all of Xena's objections, wearing down the exhausted warrior until she couldn't keep her eyes open.

The warlord grinned as another blow connected with her body. Her nemesis had arrived shortly after the bard and her companions left. She'd got lucky and had been able to knock the Messenger down with a couple of blows and had managed to get a head start on the chase she knew was to follow. She'd kept ahead of her for longer than she'd ever managed before, Gabrielle's safety being a great motivator. But she had been caught, as she knew she would. For every blow that the Messenger threw at her, she returned one. Her strength didn't hold out long, however, after the repeated beatings that she had taken over the last few moons, and she didn't do much damage. But the smile wouldn't leave her face at the thought that Gabrielle might be able to end this torture.

She knew that every second the Messenger was here with her was one more second for Gabrielle to figure a way out of it. Her body hit the ground, her muddled mind not seeing the kick that sent her there. But a laugh was brewing in her chest, despite the pain that was emanating from her abdomen.

"What..." the rage-filled voice of the Messenger screamed, "do you..." This time the warlord saw the kick coming but could do nothing to move out of its way. "...find so amusing?" The foot impacted in her stomach again, sending waves of nauseating pain through her body. Still, she laughed, infuriating the Messenger even more. A vice-like grip grabbed hold of her leathers near the throat and lifted her until her feet no longer touched the ground. "What?" The arms shook her like a rag doll, slamming her head against a small rock outcropping behind her.

"You can't win," she gasped, blood running from her battered mouth. "Not this time."

"I always win, you pathetic excuse for a warrior." The warlord was dropped to the ground.

"Not this time. Not even you can kill her without killing yourself. She'll beat you without even trying."

"Oh, you're talking about the little bard and her friends." The Messenger crouched down. "Well, we'll have to see about that, won't we? I might not be able to kill her but I can shatter her just as I've done you and your wimpy counterpart." She laughed. "Till next time. Sweet dreams!" A fist drove into her face, sending her falling into a familiar deep darkness.

The bard looked up... something had changed. The air had taken on an unusual chill; the whole atmosphere had taken on a more menacing feel. "She's coming." Gabrielle's voice carried to the Amazons who stood immediately, hands going to their weapons. Gabrielle carefully manoeuvred the warrior's head to the ground. "Kiaya, Eponin, stay with Xena. If she goes for her protect her,

but if Xena decides to become involved don't try to stop her, okay?" The two Amazons nodded and took up position near the still sleeping woman. "Ephiny, you come with me, but stay behind me and do nothing unless I tell you to. Understand?"

"Yes, my Queen, I'll do nothing unless you command it." Gabrielle looked at the Regent, wondering why she had become so formal. Then she realised that she had instinctively taken over and given her orders and that the Amazons were only obeying their Queen. She smiled at the Regent. "Come on, let's go meet her and give her a nice warm Amazon welcome, shall we?"

Gabrielle walked slowly down the slight incline of the small hill. Gabrielle felt her mouth go dry, and a shiver trembled through her body, as she stared at the apparition moving toward her. Much like her Xena, this deathly version had changed drastically. But, where her Xena had been physically and mentally battered, this one had grown. She was taller; of that Gabrielle was

sure. Her muscles rippled beneath her bronzed skin as she strode towards her. The warrior's chiselled features perfectly framed her eyes, but they weren't the eyes that the bard knew so well. These were dark orbs of ebony that crackled

with blood-red lightning. The greenery that had sprung up at Gabrielle's passing withered and retreated with the impact of the warrior's booted feet. The deathly warrior stopped several paces in front of the bard, a sneering smile appearing on her face.

"Ah, my precious bard, we meet again."

Gabrielle felt the nervousness start in the pit of her stomach, the tremor of fear in her hands. She realised, as well, that this Xena would also feel her panic starting and feed off of it. Perversely, it strengthened Gabrielle's resolve. This Xena could rant and rave to her heart's content, but she couldn't harm Gabrielle without harming herself. As the bard stared at the warrior before

her, mulling these thoughts over, she knew that the thrill of anticipation she felt wasn't hers. It wasn't even anticipation; it was the warrior's frustration at not being able to swat the annoying little Amazon out of her way.

"Yes, we meet again. Only this time, no deals, no compromises." Gabrielle's voice was firm, her nervousness and fear melted away; she refused to let her own feelings defeat her and just accepted the will of the Fates in this. Either she would succeed or she would fail, but there would be no way that this creature of terror before her would be able to use her own feelings against her.

"You think you can stop me? You're wrong. No one can stop me." The warrior had halted just a few paces in front of the bard and spread her arms wide. "This is mine; that is mine." She pointed to the still huddled form of Xena, with Kiaya and Eponin standing protectively over her.

"No, you're wrong." Gabrielle took a step closer to the warrior. "This," she waved her arm in a wide arc, "is ours, and that," she pointed towards Xena, "is mine. You are just a part of the picture, and your time is coming to an end."

"I rule here and I can stop you, Gabrielle." The warrior's voice was almost a whisper. "And, I will."

"Then stop me, Xena. In fact, I'll do it for you. Ephiny, your sword." Gabrielle reached her arm back knowing that Ephiny was standing behind her. Gabrielle saw the frown on the warrior's face and her confidence returned tenfold. She felt the cool hilt of Ephiny's sword slide into her hand, pleased that the Amazon hadn't questioned her request. She drew the sword in front of her and ran an appraising look along its length. She then placed the hilt on the ground, leaving the wickedly sharp blade pointing towards the sky.

The warrior stared at the bard in front of her, unsure, for the first time, of what the bard planned. The fear she had felt in Gabrielle at her approach had disappeared. Standing before her now was a totally different entity: a woman with confidence, determination and steel in her voice. This was an Amazon Queen, a warrior in her own right, some might even say a force to be reckoned with.

The sword worried at her, causing a little knot of concern to coil into her thoughts. Gabrielle was no swordsman. The only training she had received had been at Xena's hand, but she couldn't hope to defeat her with a sword. What was she doing with a weapon she couldn't use? "What are you doing with the sword, Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle looked up at the warrior, feeling the confusion she was causing to her. "Worried I might defeat you, Xena?"

"You couldn't hope to best me with a sword," sneered the warrior.

"Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?" The bard forced the hilt of the sword into the ground at a slight angle near her feet, burying it several inches before she stopped. She stepped back and left the sword standing without support, admiring her handiwork. Then she looked at the warrior, again, seeing the confusion growing on her face. "Nervous now, aren't you? I can feel it, you know. It's not a good feeling, is it? You don't like it but you can't stop it, can you?"

The warrior listened to the bard's voice, her frustration and anger building with each word that was spoken. Because the Amazon was right, she didn't like the feeling; but, until she knew what the bard was up to, she couldn't do anything about it.

Ephiny was stunned. She knew that the bard had a determined streak a river wide but she'd not seen it implemented in this way, before. They hadn't had time to discuss any sort of plan for the confrontation of this aspect of the warrior's psyche, but she hadn't expected the head-to-head that was going on between them. Xena wasn't the only one who was nervous of what Gabrielle was doing. Ephiny hadn't questioned the bard about the sword, because she knew that would undermine the girl's confidence, but she was seriously questioning her decision now.

Gabrielle took a deep breath, not entirely sure that she would be able to go through with what she was planning. But if Ares was telling the truth, then there was no way that any of Xena's personalities would let her go through with this. "So you're sure, are you, that my death would mean nothing to you? So, if I was to... I don't know... do this...?" The bard spread her hands and fell towards the sword.

Ephiny saw everything in slow motion, and she hadn't even begun to move, before she saw Xena's right leg kick the sword away from the falling bard. The warrior's hand grasped Gabrielle by the green top she wore, arresting her descent to the ground. Ephiny's breath stuck in her throat as she saw the Warrior rise to her full height, lifting the bard with her.

"What do you think you're doing?" growled the infuriated warrior, violently shaking Gabrielle.

"Proving a point." Ephiny marvelled at what little fear the bard's voice carried. "You can't kill me, Xena. As much as you want to, as much as you may need to, you can't get rid of me, can you?"

The warrior stared intently at the bard, mulling over the options in her mind. The bard was right, of course, she couldn't kill her. But that didn't mean she couldn't make life incredibly painful for her, and the Amazons were an entirely different matter. Xena let her eyes wander over the bard's shoulder, focussing on the three Amazons, in turn. The Regent stood several paces behind the bard but still within striking distance. The weapons master and Kiaya, the Amazons who had showed so much loyalty in staying with her through the bad times, wouldn't be so easy to get to. They were some distance off, standing guard over her gentler ego.

Gabrielle saw Xena's eyes flick towards the Amazons. She's going to go after the Amazons, the thought came unbidden to her mind; but she knew, without doubt, that Xena would try to use her friends against her. She'd go for Ephiny first. She was the nearest, and seeing her hurt or threatened was bound to bring Eponin and Kiaya down from protecting Xena's weakened, gentler ego. She felt the muscles bunching in Xena's arm and prepared herself to been thrown to the ground. The warrior didn't disappoint her.

The warlord awoke, her eyelids breaking the crust of blood that had glued them together. The unnerving sensation of three different emotions running through her roused her to consciousness. A sharp pain radiated through her body and she recognised it as coming from the bard. She'd obviously come up against the Messenger. But she felt no fear from her, just concern for the Amazons. Underlying that concern was a peacefulness that she hadn't felt in a while; the bard had also found her true soulmate and put her at ease. So that meant the frustration and anger she felt was from the Messenger. The bard was playing word games and winning, but that wouldn't last. The warlord pushed herself to her feet and looked around her. Not seeing her sword or Chakram, she materialised them from thin air.

Ephiny began to back pedal, slowly. As Xena threw Gabrielle to the ground, her first instinct had been to go to the aid of her Queen but she quickly realised that would be infinitely stupid as she was now unarmed. She didn't think the bard had been seriously harmed by the rough treatment but she couldn't afford to take her eyes off of Xena to check on her, either. Kiaya and Eponin shot a hasty glance at each other, uncertain as to how to proceed. Gabrielle had ordered them to stay by the still sleeping Xena, but the sleeping Xena was in little danger compared to their Queen and Regent. Kiaya broke first and ran to Ephiny's side, sword raised to protect her Regent and friend

Ephiny.

Ephiny looked to either side of her as the two Amazons came up next to her, then her eyes darted back to the slowly advancing warrior. "I thought you two were told to stay by Xena."

"And since when have we followed orders? Especially with you standing facing the she devil unarmed?" replied Eponin. "And I couldn't let Kiaya have all the fun, now, could I?"

"You two are going to be the death of me. You know that, don't you?"

"Well, not today." Kiaya stepped slightly in front of the Regent to face the oncoming warrior.

A surge of joy rose through the raging warrior as she saw the three Amazons facing her. A smile erupted on her face at the fun that she would have playing with these three women who were sworn to die defending their Queen.Gabrielle pushed herself up to her knees, her body still numb from where she had hit the ground. She turned her head and grinned as the three Amazons stood

together in front of the more violent, dominant alter ego of her warrior Amazons were very predictable; there was no way that they would have left Ephiny defenceless against the warrior.

Now, Gabrielle had to hope she was able to read Xena, as easily. Seeing such enthusiastic opposition would please the warrior. And the fact that they had effectively broken a direct order to defend her weaker self would only heighten the pleasure she would derive from the encounter. The warrior would want to play with her victims for a while to tease them, make them think they had a chance against her, then crush them. But, if Gabrielle were right, reinforcement would soon be appearing.

The warlord gripped the hilt of the sword, hard, and took a deep breath before she stepped forward. With a simple thought, she was able to transport herself to where she knew the bard and her own various personalities would be. The light changed as she appeared on top of the small hillock. A quick glance around assured her that things hadn't gotten out of hand, yet, and the Amazons were, as yet, unharmed. Her eyes rested on the two small trees. That was a change since she'd been here

last, and a pleasant one at that. Her arrival hadn't been noticed by anyone, yet, and she bent down and grabbed hold of her slumbering self and shook hard till blue eyes opened and stared deeply into her own. "Are you going to sleep all day and let the bard and the Amazons do our job for us?"

The more gentle of Xena's egos felt a rush of energy as the warlord pulled her to her feet. A sword appeared in her hand and a chakram at her side. Over her shoulder, she saw the three Amazons facing the Messenger, and her bard pushing herself to her feet behind the sneering warrior.

Kiaya and Eponin worked as a team. As Xena swung her sword towards them, the swing was easily blocked and they knew that they were being played with. They weren't sure what they were attempting to do, other than stay alive. It wasn't as if they could kill her since, technically, Xena was already dead. And neither of them knew what Gabrielle was trying to do, except to make this Xena even more enraged than she already was. Kiaya ducked, as Eponin blocked an overhead

thrust, and tried to dart in beneath to catch the warrior in her stomach; but her thrust was swatted away and she felt a rap on her shoulder which sent a numbing sensation down her arm.

Ephiny now had two of Eponin's throwing blades in her hands. Not that she was an expert in using them, but it felt better to be armed. She saw that Gabrielle had reached her feet and was glad that the bard would now be able to get out of harm's way. Instead, Ephiny blanched as Gabrielle stepped towards Xena, laughing.

The Messenger heard the bard's laughter and couldn't believe she was laughing at her; and when she spoke her voice had a mocking tone that she had never heard before. "Big bad Xena having problems with two Amazons, now, is she?"

The Amazons found it as hard to believe their ears, as Xena obviously did. Eponin made a mental note to have a word with the bard about annoying warriors who were already infuriated, especially when she wasn't the one fighting them. The weapons master quickly scuttled backwards to avoid the rapid attacks from the warrior. She felt her foot twist and slip from beneath her, but an arm

latched itself around her shoulders and gave her balance.Ephiny took Eponin's weight in her arm as the weapons master regained her balance and took a quick second to throw one of her blades towards the warrior, inflicting a small flesh wound in her side. Gabrielle's pealing laughter echoed in the warrior's mind. It took all her concentration to remain focussed on the Amazons. Gabrielle was unarmed and posed no threat and, if she were to be picky about it, neither did the Amazons, but

she couldn't let herself be seen as weak. Then Gabrielle's voice penetrated her battle haze. "Ouch! That has got to hurt... the mighty Warrior Princess felled by nothing more than a throwing knife. Oops, sorry, you're still standing! That one doesn't count."

The warrior's attention was forced back to the taunting bard but her burning eyes hadn't swerved from the Amazon playthings in front of her. . "I can't kill you, Gabrielle, but I can make you wish you were dead." The snarling threat came from deep within the warrior's throat.

Well, my warrior, two can play at that game. Ephiny saw past the warrior's shoulder to Gabrielle's face. The bard had closed her eyes and screwed her face up in concentration. Almost immediately, a staff appeared in Gabrielle's hands.

She opened her eyes, smiled wickedly and quickly smashed the warrior across the side of her head.

The warrior knew the blow was coming and dodged sideways, but the hit jarred her a bit off balance. Totally enraged, at last, and beyond the boundaries of rational thought, she whipped around, readying her sword to run through the woman who dared to harass her.

A double yell resounded across the landscape and two bodies flipped in the air and jolted to the earth in front of the bard. Startled, the warrior hesitated in her attack. The warlord shook her head at the Messenger. "That was a mistake. Even you should be able to recognise that that."

The warrior laughed. "Didn't you have enough pain the last time? Anxious for more?" The warrior stood sneering at the two identical images in front of her, even though her mind was telling her that maybe she had miscalculated. It was, after all, instinct to protect the bard, not attack. Maybe she had just given them the push they needed. The warlord and the gentle Xena glanced at each other and grinned as the incandescent light of battle flashed from their eyes. Their swords were already

drawn and each of them twirled hers around in her hand. The warlord and Xena separated and stalked to either side of the Messenger. Gabrielle took several steps back to give the three identical warriors space; it should make for an interesting fight, seeing as they knew each other's moves and tactics so well.

Eponin and Kiaya stood, stunned. The Messenger had all but forgotten their presence and, despite the circumstances, both of them couldn't wait to witness this battle. Eponin noticed Gabrielle edging herself away from the warriors and, nudging Kiaya, indicated that was where they needed to be. Kiaya nodded and then quickly searched for Ephiny. Seeing that the Regent was out of harm's way, she moved to follow Eponin.

The warlord made her move first, as Gabrielle's Xena ducked in to distract the warrior. They had fought like this against her many times before, but it had always been to protect themselves. Now she was turning against the bard and that couldn't be allowed. Sometimes the Messenger's anger outweighed what she knew was best for her own good, and hurting, or even killing, the bard could do nothing but harm. The Messenger kept her eyes flitting between her two opponents. She knew

everything about them. She'd beaten them many times before, and would again, even if they were a little more motivated to win this time. She swung to her right, lifting her sword to deflect the warlord's shoulder-height blow. She jumped, knowing that her other opponent would be going for her feet. They had already discovered that they were unable to kill each other, though she had taken pleasure in causing them pain for the amount of time it had taken her to realise that they were right. She swung her sword back to her left, causing Gabrielle's Xena to rock backwards to avoid the blow. Then she lifted herself into a spinning kick, hoping to catch the warlord off balance. It was a trick that had worked well for her, previously. The warlord dropped to the floor, anticipating the kick. The Messenger was nothing if not faithful to the moves she knew would work, but even an old warlord could learn new tricks occasionally, especially if the teaching were painful enough.

"Missed!" she yelled cheerfully, enjoying herself for the first time since Gabrielle had sent her away. "Losing your touch, already?"

The Messenger tried to rein in her temper, knowing that to let her temper loose any further could be her downfall.

Gabrielle edged her way around the fighting, coming up close to Eponin and Kiaya who were slowly moving the other way, while still trying to keep an eye on the battle.

"Wow!" said Kiaya. "Impressive, isn't it? I wonder if it is always like this when they disagree on anything?" Gabrielle looked sternly at Kiaya as she finished speaking.

"I really needed to hear that, Kiaya."

"Sorry, Gabrielle," replied the Amazon, a little abashed at her outburst. But she had never seen anything quite like it before. Neither she nor Eponin was able to distinguish the swords as they moved. It was unnerving, too, and it caused Kiaya to wonder how the Messenger had ever won any of their battles, because each of them fought as though they knew what was coming next.

Gabrielle watched the fight with fascination. She'd always loved to watch Xena fight and drill but this was way beyond anything she had ever seen. Kiaya was right, it was impressive, but it was also a stalemate. None of them was able to get the upper hand, even with the warlord and her Xena fighting together. Something had to break this stalemate but she had no idea what to do about it.

Whether it was a conscious or subconscious decision she would never know, but she took several steps forward until she could just about touch the three battling warriors.

It was Gabrielle's Xena who noticed her presence, first, maybe because her connection was so much more a part of her compared to the others. She stopped fighting and looked over at the bard, unconcerned about the consequences. The bard's emerald eyes were like a magnet and she couldn't tear her own away from them.

The warlord noticed, next, as she parried an overhead blow from the Messenger. Quickly, she was overcome by the magic of the bard's presence. And her crystal blue eyes sank into the bard's green depths.

Gabrielle felt her connection with Xena blossom with joy as two of the warriors were drawn to look at her. With everything that she was, she poured her love into the connection and sent it flowing to the two warriors.

The Messenger almost brought herself to a halt as the other Xena's stopped fighting to look at the bard. A smirk of satisfaction appeared on her face, and she changed her swing, knowing that, with one blow, she could defeat her other selves. Love was always a distraction and now it would mean their defeat.They didn't have to see the blow coming; they could feel it. They didn't have to

see the expression on the Messenger's face; they already knew it would be one of victory. They didn't have to look at each other; because they already knew the outcome.

The Messenger committed herself to the blow, pouring all her energy into it. Once committed, she was powerless to change her course.The warlord went low, sweeping out with her right leg, connecting with the Messenger's ankles just above her heel, knocking her slightly off balance.

Gabrielle's Xena launched herself into the air, twisting herself and turning so she was behind the Messenger. Her feet crashed into the armour-plated shoulders, sending the warrior tumbling forward.The Messenger knew, as she fell, that she had made an error. But all was not lost. She could roll from this fall if she timed it right. Which is why the crack of Gabrielle's staff impacting with her head and sending her into black oblivion came as such a shock.

Three Amazons, an Amazon Queen, and two slightly different Xena's stood side by side staring down at the unconscious form of Hades' Messenger.

"Well, that will teach you to underestimate the power of a bard, huh?" said Eponin, nudging the felled warrior with her foot. Then she looked at the others and smiled.

"Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?" panted Gabrielle as she came up to Ephiny's side.

"You call that a plan?" replied the incredulous Regent.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?"

"Gabrielle, how, in Artemis' name, did you come up with that?"

"I didn't, you did." Gabrielle smiled at the shock on Ephiny's face and draped an arm over her shoulders, then looked back to where the warlord and her Xena had the Messenger pinned to the ground. "You're the one who reminded me that Xena relied on me to believe in her, and I never lost faith in her ability to save me when I got into trouble. So, I figured if I made the Messenger mad

enough to lash out at me and come at me, then my Xena would react in the same way she always does and ride to the rescue. It was an unexpected plus that the warlord came, too. I guess this bonding is even stronger than I figured on."

"That was a big risk to take, Gabrielle," the Regent said quietly.

"Yeah, I know, but even you always say that she'd never let anything happen to me if she could help it. And she could help this, couldn't she?"

"I guess. So what happens, now?"

"Now... we get Hades to come in and clear up this mess."

Gabrielle turned back to Ephiny as the God of the Underworld faded from sight taking his warrior with him.

"You think he's going to be able to keep tabs on her?" inquired the Regent.

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll keep her amused until we have need of her again, which, hopefully, won't be for a long, long time. Come on, let's get back to the others." The two friends turned and slowly walked back to where Eponin and Kiaya were sitting side by side with two rather tired looking Xena's. What little conversation there was stopped as Gabrielle and Ephiny approached. "Well, that

has solved that little problem for the time being. Now, if you three don't mind, Xena and I have some things to discuss."

"We'll go for a walk whilst you talk. Just give a yell if you need us," said Ephiny as she motioned for Eponin and Kiaya to follow her.

"No, Ephiny. You lot better get back home and stop the rest of them from worrying. I'm sure Lissa and Cassandra could do with some good news."

"I'm sure they could, but how do we get home?"

"Just close your eyes and imagine yourselves there and when you open your eyes you will be." Gabrielle sank to the ground and sat in between the two Xena's. "Xena and I will be along, shortly."

"See you in a while, then."

Silence settled around Gabrielle and Xena as the Amazons faded from view much like Hades had a few moments earlier. "They picked that up easily, didn't they?" commented Gabrielle, looking in turn at each of the Xena's. The warlord was now sprawled on her back, eyes closed, basking in the sun. Whilst her Xena was sitting cross-legged, head bent, while her hands played with her leathers.

They needed to talk. Gabrielle knew that, but it didn't make it any easier to do. "Are you going to go first, or am I?" The bard sighed, as still no answer was forthcoming. "You know, don't you, it's still just as hard to get a conversation out of you, even when there's more than one of you. Still, we have some issues to work out, so I'll go first."

The bard couldn't remain seated between the two warriors as she talked, so she climbed to her feet. Rubbing her hands together, she began to speak. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have told you to leave. No, that's not right, I shouldn't have sent you away. I didn't think I could help you control your anger and I was afraid. I thought you would be better off without me. I didn't realise that I

would make things worse; I didn't understand that you were connected to me in such a deep way that my pushing you away like that would hurt you so much."

"Well, it did." Gabrielle looked up, unsure as to which Xena had spoken.

"Gods, it's hard talking to two of you. I know I was wrong, Xena. I'm sorry for that. But I need you as much as you need me and we need to work this out. If we go around blaming each other for everything that's happened, we'll never find a way out of this mess. It's just us here now, no Gods to interfere... and, believe me, I know now why you distrust them so. But, damn it, we have to learn from this; otherwise, it was for nothing. I love you and I know you love me. I can feel everything you are thinking and feeling just as you can with me. I know you're hurting worse than you've ever believed possible, and I know you feel betrayed. But you also know that I'm telling the truth when I say that I'll always be there for you, that I never meant to hurt you." Gabrielle turned away from the warriors. "I've had to learn that there are things you have to do by yourself, but that doesn't mean I can't support you in them. And you've had to learn that there are many different ways of doing things and that, maybe, your first impulse isn't always the best way to do them."

The warlord looked over at her other self and shrugged. She could hear the pain in the bard's voice and in no way was she equipped to deal with it. Getting to her feet, she smiled at the bard's back and mouthed a silent goodbye, before stepping forward and melding into one with her counterpart.

"I know you're telling the truth, Gabrielle, and I've never doubted that you did what you thought was best, but it hurt. I've never had someone like you to hold onto before, and, when I lost that, I didn't know what to do. I know I should have told you what was happening to me, but I've never had anyone to help me before. I was afraid that, if I told you I was losing control, I would lose you... and I did, anyway. For ten moons, Gabrielle, I've been walking down a path without you beside me. I didn't have your light or your love to guide me and I needed that. I still do. I always will."

Gabrielle felt two hands on her shoulders and turned, looking into the crystal-blue eyes of her soulmate, entranced by the fact that there was only one of her. "You said you were having trouble with two of us, so we sort of got together."

Gabrielle felt a warmth spread through her as she looked into her partner's eyes, and a tear appeared as she pulled the warrior's arms around her and hugged her tight."You won't have any problem with this?"

"No problem. The warlord and I have always merged well." A lopsided grin appeared on her face. "Shall we go home?"

Gabrielle smiled up at her partner. "I am already home."

Epilogue

Ephiny shaded her eyes as she looked over the Village Square. Unable to find the object of her search, her eyes settled on Solari who'd just walked from the healer's hut. Ephiny trotted down the steps and made her way over to the warrior. "Hey! Cassandra finally let you out of her clutches?"

Solari grinned at her friend. "Nope, I'm on day leave. She still insists I go back in the evenings."

"Well, it's better than nothing, I suppose. Have you seen Gabrielle around, anywhere?"

"Yeah, she and Xena headed out of the village about a candlemark ago."

"Did she look okay to you?" inquired the Regent. Gabrielle seemed to have recovered from her wound with remarkable speed, but she had been through a very trying time in the dreamscape. Ephiny hadn't been able to spend enough time with her to reassure herself that her Queen was fully recovered.

"Gabrielle looked great, which is more than I could say for our warrior friend. She still looks like Tartarus frozen over. I'm heading for the mess hall. You coming?" Solari started walking again.

"Sure." Ephiny joined her friend in her leisurely walk. "Hades said it would take time for her to get over this. Still, I'm surprised it's taking this long."

"Well, considering that she's making up for ten moons of being away from the bard's side, I think she's doing well. Though I did hear that Gabrielle told her that if she didn't start eating properly, she'd send for her mother."

Ephiny laughed. "Bet that went down well."

"Rumour has it that she actually finished her porridge that morning."

Solari glanced over at Ephiny. "Haven't seen much of Eponin in the last few days. Is she okay?"

Ephiny smirked at Solari's veiled question. "Eponin is fine. Just doesn't seem to be able to pull herself away from the temple these days. Taking up religion, I think."

"Really? I heard that Lissa had a new acolyte."

"No teasing her, okay? Kiaya gets enough of her kicks doing that. I don't think I could handle you joining in, as well. Besides, it's good to see her happy."

"Yeah, it is. No teasing, I promise... well, not much, anyway," said Solari as they ducked into the mess hall.

Kiaya slipped silently from her perch in the branches by the stream, her feet gently hitting the ground with barely a sound. She wasn't fooled, though. She was pretty sure that Xena knew she was close by. Just as she was sure that the warrior knew that the Amazon patrol they'd bumped into the first time they left Gabrielle's hut was no chance meeting, and neither was the fact that they had

been exercising Argo at the time. The fourteen days since Xena's return had been hard for the warrior, and Gabrielle had learnt quickly after their first outing that, no matter what Xena professed, she was still extremely weak. Xena still found it hard to sleep. Kiaya had heard her screams on the guard duties she had pulled outside the Queen's quarters. She'd also heard Gabrielle's calm voice talking her down from the night terrors; it was doubtful that either of them had had a full night's sleep. But they seemed to be coping, despite the problems. A playful squeal drifted down from the waterfalls further up the stream. She'd check on them once more then leave them in peace. The Amazon carefully picked her way through the littered forest floor, not wanting to overtly disturb the two friends. She settled behind a fallen tree and slowly peeked over the trunk.

Gabrielle sat with her feet dangling in the cool waters of the stream, a towel wrapped around her shoulder. Water dripped from her hair and her clothes were damp. The squeal of delight had obviously been in response to being dunked by the Warrior Princess who stood, thigh deep, peering into the water. Gabrielle giggled as a floating branch startled the warrior, who looked at her with a

scowl.

"How do you expect me to catch lunch if you keep scaring the fish away?" The warrior raised her eyebrow at the bard.

"I think we already managed that," replied the bard.

"Well, you said you were hot." Xena flicked some water at her partner.

"Did not," said the bard, splashing back.

"Did, too," came Xena's indignant reply as another wave of water from the bard hit her full in the face.

"That's it!" Xena launched herself at the bard and what had been a quiet interlude between two friends deteriorated into an all-out water fight. Kiaya quietly stood up and turned away. Smiling silently, she left the two friends to their play; the echoes of laughter and delighted squeals lightening her steps as she made her way back to the village.

The End

To be Continued……

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