It was weird. It was like making the conscious decision to walk into an anthill, Gabrielle thought, as she forced herself into a pose of casual unconcern. She kept her horse about a pace or two behind Xena's, as they ambled slowly down the slope and joined the road a little distance from the encampment.
"This is so … " The bard hesitated.
"Stupid?" Her soulmate placidly supplied.
"I didn't say that."
Xena chuckled. "Well, on the face of it, riding right into an armed camp does seem a little.. um… " The warrior chewed her lip. "risky."
"Mm." Gabrielle regarded the approaching settlement through pale lashes. "On the other hand, there's what… a hundred of them?"
"About." Xena agreed, straightening a little in the saddle, and shifting her sword under her cloak so it settled better.
"I wonder if they realize just how much trouble they're in?" The bard remarked.
"Probably not." The blue eyes glinted. "Or they wouldn't be looking this way with quite that much eagerness." She watched the stirring men from the corner of her eye. "Okay.. slow down."
Both stallions slowed their pace. "They coming after us?" Gabrielle whispered nervously.
"Not yet." Her soulmate replied. "Keep going." The camp started to stir in earnest, as the lookouts yelled something. "Okay.. stop."
"Phew." Gabrielle pulled her mount to a halt gratefully. "We were getting kinda close." A pause. "Now we take off?"
"Hold on." Xena sat up, and shaded her eyes, as though she were evaluating the group. "Okay.. slowly.. .turn around."
"I hate turning my back on them." The bard muttered darkly.
"Go ahead of me. I'll catch any arrows." Her partner replied, with a faint smile, as they turned their horses, and started back the way they came. "Now remember, when I tell you, we go up the other slope."
"The other slope. Right." Gabrielle replied. "Are they coming?"
"Yes."
"Run?"
"Not yet." Xena firmly seated her boots in her stirrups, and dropped her knees a little, grasping Iolaus's neck with her legs. The stallion picked up the change, and pranced a little, and she patted him. "Easy."
"Now?" Gabrielle could hear the sound of running feet and hooves behind her.
"Hold on." The ex warlord stated soothingly.
"Hey! Hey.. you there. Hold up!" A loud, commanding voice echoed.
Xena stopped, and half turned, pointing at her own chest. "Who.. me?"
Fully half the soldiers were pouring out after them, a squadron of riders in the front. "Yes, you… hold!" The man repeated loudly. "Or we'll fire."
Xena's arm moved with a savage, flicking motion, and her dagger sliced through the air, taking him from his horse as it penetrated to the hilt in his heart. "Sorry. Places to go. . people to see.. c'mon Gabrielle." She turned and smacked the Hercules on the rear, and he bolted, with Iolaus right behind him. "Head for the left ridge!" She yelled, reminding her partner.
A loud roar sounded behind her, and she heard a thunder of hooves and boots as they gave chase.
"Sure.. sure.. easy for you to say, warrior princess of I learned to ride in diapers." Gabrielle muttered under her breath, as she fought her reins, pulling Hercules' head to the left and urging him on. She heard the angry whistle of arrows behind her, but didn't feel any stings, though she saw one go past her on the right.
She hoped Xena knew what she was doing… the sound of the chase was very close behind them, and she ducked instinctively as a spear went wide of it's mark. "They're catching us!"
"Nah." Xena looked behind her, to see a well organized chase, the soldiers pelting after them with powerful strides that bespoke excellent conditioning. "Hey boys!" She grinned at them, and leaned forward as an arrow passed close, reaching out and snatching it from mid air, then putting it between her teeth and waving at them.
They thundered up the slope, leading the soldiers in a race so close, the bard could hear the breathing of the horses behind her. Gabrielle began to wonder if they hadn't miscalculated when Xena yelled, and pointed, and she saw an opening in the trees ahead. "Gotcha." She aimed Hercules right for it, leaning forward over the stallion's neck and trying to move with him, as she'd been taught.
The rough branches whipped against her body, leaving a rich green scent in it's path, and she exploded through the narrow opening, rushing though a thick underbrush at breakneck speed.
She heard Xena come through behind her, and turned to watch, as her partner half stood in the saddle, exposing her tall body for one agonizing moment, then whipping her sword out and slicing through a piece of thick, hemp rope as she passed beneath it.
Gabrielle felt the lash of leaves and net slide over her shoulders as she ducked, and previously tensed branches flicked over her head, almost brushing her from the saddle. "Yow." She yelled, feeling Xena's close presence behind her, along with a savage, angry roaring that made every hair on her neck stand up.
"Keep moving!" The warrior yelled, urging her forward. "C'mon…"
Both stallions scrambled up the slope, as a thundering wave of crashing and shouting ensued from behind them, rapidly escalating into screams of pain, and rage. They crested the ridge and hurtled over it, with Gabrielle now following Xena's path as they headed down into the next valley, aiming for a long, dusty looking road that lead away from the soldiers, and towards home.
Moments passed, then as they reached it, Xena pulled up and turned, giving Iolaus a breather as she scanned the trees for pursuers. Gabrielle gladly stopped next to her, patting Hercules lathered neck with a slightly shaking hand. "That was darn close."
"Shh." Xena held up a hand, and cocked her head in a listening attitude. "Let's just hope it worked."
In the distance, a horse whinnied in pain, and they could hear faint shouts, but the ridge remained empty as they sat side by side in the gusting wind.
"Looks like we got lucky." Xena smiled, and gave her partner a slap on the shoulder. "Nice riding, Gabrielle… you're getting pretty good at it."
Gabrielle preened a little, accepting the unexpected compliment gladly. "Thanks.. of course I knew falling off wasn't an option." She reminded her soulmate. "But yeah.. " She settled her knees and shifted in the saddle. "It felt okay."
Xena gave her thigh a pat. "Good girl."
The bard leaned on her saddlebow and smiled. "You know, it's amazing how wonderful a few nice words from you still makes me feel."
The warrior cocked her head in question.
"Of course, you're a lot easier to get them from nowadays." Gabrielle teased her gently, with a twinkle in her eyes. "But I used to collect them."
"Really?" Xena turned Iolaus' head around and got him moving, with Hercules ambling along beside willingly.
"Mm… " The bard nodded. "Yeah… I recorded them in my diary.. I was reading it the other day, and I came across an entry that said.. " She chewed her lip and looked up, thinking. "Let me see.. it said… 'Today was a great day! We got to go shopping in the biggest market I've ever seen, and Xena said I was the best bargainer in it."
The warrior chuckled softly. "I remember that day." She admitted softly. "You conned that merchant out of that new sleeping fur.. I was going to pay double for it."
"Yeah." Her partner nodded, then fell silent for a bit. "Boy." Gabrielle finally said quietly. "Those bees were sure mad back there."
"Mmhmm." Xena agreed. "I had a time getting them into those parchments sacks…lucky I was wearing my gauntlets." She glanced behind them, to where the ridge was now a distant blur of green, and saw still no pursuit. .
"Even so… they were really mad, Xena… I feel bad for their horses." The bard shook her head. "And a little for the soldiers… I remember when I fell into that hive that one time." She winced. "Ow."
Xena grimaced as well, recalling the days spent removing the myriad of poison spines from her soulmate's body and allowing her to recover from the vicious stings. She had no doubt Andreas' troops would have similar memories, and even less doubt that they'd come after them, though she knew they'd have at least a night's grace before they headed out.
That was all right. At least they'd stay clear of the little village, so Xena's promise would be kept, and she had a pretty sturdy confidence in her own ability to lose their pursuers after a day or two. "Can't blame em" She turned and watched her partner's face. "For being mad, I mean." She blinked innocently.
"Well, no.. not with you stuffing them in….wait.. what do you mean?" Gabrielle peered at her curiously. 'What' s that look for?"
With a grin, Xena stuck her hand in her saddlebag, then withdrew it, her fingers conspicuously coated with a golden substance. She licked a finger and waggled her brows.
"You… wait.. you have fresh honeycomb there?" Gabrielle squealed. "And you didn't give me any?" She kneed Hercules closer. "Get over here."
Iolaus sidestepped away, as the warrior teasingly licked another finger. "Mmm…"
"Xeeeennnnnaaaaaa…." Gabrielle warbled, as she started out after her. "You are such a brat." She cantered up next to her soulmate who had slowed to join her, and opened her mouth, lifting a brow in invitation, then sucking contentedly on the honey covered thumb she was given. "Mmmmm…."
"Like that, huh?" Xena chuckled at the blissful expression. She broke off a bit of the comb with her other hand and offered it to the bard, who relinquished her thumb and munched on it happily. "I got most of the hive…nice stuff, too.. with all those wildflowers blooming up there."
"Oh.. that's wonderful." Gabrielle sucked the honey from the waxy comb "No wonder they were so pissed off.. you raided their nest first."
"Too good an opportunity to pass up." Xena remarked smugly. "I know someone who really likes the stuff." She sidestepped Iolaus over and gave the bard a nudge.
"Oh, and you don't?" The pale haired woman snorted.
Xena shrugged offhandedly.
"Mmhmm.. see if you get any honey roasted apples tonight." Gabrielle gave her a severe look.
Big blue eyes went round immediately, and fastened on her, and the bard was irresistibly reminded of their infant daughter. She burst into laughter, holding onto her saddlehorn to keep from tumbling off the stallion.
"What?" Xena scowled, giving the giggling bard a dour glare, which only set her off worse. "Cut that out.. you're gonna fall off that horse." She eased over and grabbed Gabrielle's arm to steady her. "What's so damn funny?"
"Oh." The bard sighed and wiped her eyes. "Sorry… um… so where are we headed?"
Dark brows knit. "What was so funny?"
"Nothing.. nothing.. something just struck me.. don't worry about it, Xena."
"I'm not worried."
Silence.
"I'm just curious…. If there's a joke, I wanna hear it."
"No no… really.. it was nothing, honey." The bard soothed her. "Did you say you had a spot in mind to stop tonight?"
"Gabriiieeellle."
Silence, save the soft sounds of eight hooves striking the dirt path, tossing up tiny bursts of sand as they did.
A sigh. "You pout just like Dori."
"I… do….not… pout." Xena enunciated each word with devastating precision.
Green eyes slid her way, and Gabrielle clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle, recognizing a very memorable not pout when she saw one.
"Hmph." Xena urged her horse on ahead.
*************************************************
It was a quiet campsite. Gabrielle finished getting dinner prepared, and watched her soulmate clean her armor in gruff silence. She'd been grumpy since the late afternoon, and the bard had been sitting reflectively, deciding on a plan of attack.
Was a time, she mused. When that attitude of hers would have my stomach in knots.. now… A gentle smile played over her lips. Now, it's just a matter of soothing a few beautiful, but ruffled feathers.
She put a pot of water on to heat, then stood and circled the fire, glancing around the campsite as she did so. Xena had found a wonderful spot, an overhang tucked into the side of a small river that hid them from view of the road even though the path was not that far away. They'd ridden into the stream to lose their tracks, and swum the horses upstream, to the small bank that lead to their secluded little retreat.
The overhang protected them from weather, as well as prying eyes, and Gabrielle could feel herself relaxing a bit, from spending the afternoon imagining eyes watching her back at every moment..
She stepped around the edges of the campsite, ending up just behind her partner, and seating herself on a convenient rock just behind the busy warrior. Xena had gone swimming to catch dinner, and her skin was still damp and glistening in the firelight. Gabrielle quietly circled the tanned neck with her arm sand rested her head against Xena's back, in perfect silence.
The warrior's steady movement slowed, and finally stopped, and she felt the shift as Xena turned her head. "You need something?"
The bard shook her head, knowing her partner could feel the motion. "Nope. I've got everything I need right here." She smiled a little, as she felt the tension dissolve out of the muscles under her arms, and Xena leaned back against her knees.
"Do you?" It wasn't a serious question, and they both knew it.
"Mmhmm….all wrapped up in one nice, strong, beautiful package." Gabrielle peeked over her partner's shoulder to see blue eyes gazing back at her, a hint of a smile playing around their corners. "What was funny before is that when I look at you… I realize just how much Dori is like you."
A brow lifted in surprise, then lowered. "Mm… sometimes. Yeah." Xena admitted softly. "Does that bother you?"
"Nuh uh." Gabrielle shook her head. "I mean.. I can see myself in her…I really can, Xena.. when she smiles, especially. But so much of you is in her." The bard paused. " I like that." She snuggled her chin up onto the warrior's shoulder and gave her a little squeeze.
Xena chewed that over a minute. "Hmm…. " She eyed the bard. "I've seen her pout. Do I really look like that?"
Gabrielle bit her lip. "Erm….a little."
The warrior sighed. "She's so cute."
"So are you." Gabrielle whispered. "I've got some apples over there if you're interested in one."
The dark head turned and pale eyes studied her face intently. "One?" A hint of mischief entered them as the word rolled off Xena's tongue.
The bard grinned back at her, then she tipped her head back and studied the clear, cold sky overhead. "Xena, how is it that we're in the middle of running from an army, we've got more trouble than a flock of geese in fog, and in all that, I still feel so totally wonderful?" She looked back at her soulmate's face, half in shadow, half lit by the fire.
Xena tilted her head and kissed her. "I know what you mean." She murmured, then half turned, slidng her arms around the bard and cradling her neck in one hand, as she dipped her head for a second kiss, this one much longer. Gabrielle's hands wandered, slipping under the fabric of the light tunic Xena had donned after she'd gotten out of the water, and the bard's warm, curious touch sent a jolt straight through her.
Was this a safe place? Xena felt herself almost beyond caring, but she knew if anyplace was in this wilderness, this place was safe. No one could approach them, they were hidden, they were…
Xena felt a pulse point pick up as she nibbled at it.
They were going to be a little late for dinner.
A spark snapped, drifting up to join the stars overhead, watching benignly.
***********************************************
It was a darn good thing, Gabrielle soberly reflected, that Xena had her in a nice, good, tight hold. The bard cracked on eye open, to see a canopy of leaves almost directly overhead, and felt the sway as they hung loosely in mid air. A dawn breeze pushed against them, and they moved a little, as the bard tried to think of something other than how high above the ground they were.
"Morning. " Xena's voice rumbled in one ear. "You sleep okay?"
Gabrielle yawned, and rolled over a little, turning her back on the creepily open hammock edge and preferring the warm solidarity of Xena's body. "Once I convinced myself to forget there was nothing between me and the ground far below me but air, fabric, and you." She mumbled. "Yeah… though I think I dreamed about being a bird."
The warrior chuckled softly. When they'd decided to stop the previous evening, she'd hadn't been happy with the choices she'd had, as the ground was too overgrown, and the clear spaces had too many approaches that she couldn’t monitor. What the glade had provided, however, were these nice, big, tall trees, and she'd managed somehow to convince Gabrielle to allow her to build a hammock for the both of them in one. It had meant a cold dinner, because she didn't want to risk a fire in the underbrush, but they'd been tolerably comfortable all night long.
They'd taken a week to get to where they were, and now, with dawn breaking, they were within a short distance of Potadeia, having decided it would be a good idea to stop by and warn the bard's home village and family of the doings in the south. "Ready to get started?" The warrior asked.
"Ngh." The bard nuzzled her, nipping gently at her neck.
"Careful there, Gabrielle.. remember what happened the last time we spent the night together in a tree." Xena reminded her.
Gabrielle's head lifted and two round, pale green eyes fastened on Xena's face. Then a devilish little grin spread over the bard's face. She lifted a finger and pointed at Xena's nose. "Your turn." She waited for the swift denial, surprised when all she got was a very thoughtful look in return. "But that's probably a once in a lifetime thing, huh?"
Xena paused momentarily, then nodded. "Yeah… once in our lifetimes… never in most anyone else's." She smiled, twirling a lock of the bard's hair around one finger. "Now…we need to get going.. I'd like to be home late tonight… better to come in when it's dark, just in case."
Gabrielle exhaled softly. "Okay.. yeah, I'm sure they miss us there." She agreed, but didn't move anything save a single finger, which was tracing a line down Xena's neck. "Hey, Xena?"
"Mmm?" The warrior shifted, and pulled her closer, as the darkness slowly receded, leaving them in gray twilight.
The bard hesitated. "Ah.. nothing." She laughed a little. "Nevermind."
Xena gazed affectionately down at the pale head burrowed into her shoulder. "I'm really glad we had this time alone too." She prompted, gently, feeling the movement against her skin as the bard smiled. "We won't wait so long next time."
The smile broadened, and she got a squeeze, as the rocked slowly in the cold, morning air.
It was uneasily overcast as they crossed through the outer valley that would eventually lead them into Potadeia. The air was thick, and damp, and the horses kept shaking their heads and sneezing in it, as though it carried an invisible dust. Xena kept her eyes moving, searching the surrounding areas as her instincts nibbled worriedly, hearing animals moving around, but with an almost furtive attitude. "It's quiet." She commented softly.
Gabrielle had moved a little closer, and she was fingering her staff, strapped alongside her leg. "Yeah…one of those kind of quiets that's not a quiet, quiet.. but an uh oh, something's up kinda quiet."
Her partner sorted through the response. "Right." She agreed. A rustle to the right caught her ear and she turned her head, one hand going to her chakram, only to relax when she spotted it's source, a young boy in tattered clothing standing just inside the treeline. "Know him?" She asked the bard, who had also spotted the child.
"No." Gabrielle waved at the boy. "Hi there."
The child stared suspiciously at her, then glanced around, and edged out into the open, stumbling a little on bare, obviously sore feet. The two travelers turned their horses and trotted over to save him the walking and Gabrielle immediately dismounted as they closed in. "Hey… don't be scared."
"Not scared." The boy stated truculently, but his eyes darted to Xena's imposing form as the warrior watched him. "Who're you?" He was thin, and had light brown hair which hung in long locks about his face.
"Well." The bard came closer and offered her hand. "My name's Gabrielle…what's yours?"
"Seve." He hesitantly took her fingers.
"Do you live around here?" Gabrielle asked.
He shrugged. "Sorta… they wrecked our house… so we live in the trees there…it's sorta neat." He pointed behind him to the patch of forest. "I got me a squirrel lives up there."
Gabrielle crouched down, so he didn't have to look up at her. "What happened to your house?" She was aware of Xena dismounting behind her, and heard the soft, but heavy sound of her boots hitting the ground. The boy's eyes left her face and looked up in apprehension as the warrior came closer. "It's okay.. " She reassured him. "She's not as dangerous as she looks."
Xena snorted softly and knelt by her side, running experienced fingers through the grass. "Horses came through here."
That impressed the kid. "Yeah… a bunch of em…there's what wrecked our house." He told the warrior.
"The horses did, or were men riding them?" Gabrielle asked quietly.
"Them men." Seve admitted. "They torched the village… an took the aminals and stuff." He looked behind him, and slightly to the left. "It was over there… beyond them trees."
Gabrielle also looked there. "Yes.. I remember… " She turned towards her soulmate. "It's a small community.. sheepherders. They trade….I mean, they traded with Potadeia a lot." She exhaled. "I hope.."
Xena's hand clasped her shoulder comfortingly. "I know… we'd better get going." She peered at Seve. "How many men?"
The boy shrugged. "Dunno… it was dark… there were lots."
"You know which way they went after?" The warrior persisted, turning to gaze in the direction he pointed. Green and blue eyes met. "Oh gods." Gabrielle breathed.
Xena patted the boys' arm. "Thanks… gotta go. " She stood up and walked to Iolaus' side, fiddling with his tack as Gabrielle stood to join her. "C'mon." She gave the boy a look. "Stay hidden, kid… they could be back."
The bard ruffled the boy's hair, then walked to Hercules' side and rummaged in her saddlebag for a moment. "Here." She tossed him a small sack, which he caught. "Xena's right… stay out of sight, okay?"
He stopped in the act of investigating her gift, and stared at the tall cloaked and armored figure standing quietly nearby. "Wow…are you really Xena?"
The blue eyes warmed briefly. "Yeah."
The boy slowly walked over and stopped a pace or so short of her, then looked up in childish awe. "You're gonna beat em all up, arentcha?" He stepped closer and lifted a hand, catching her cloak and feeling the fabric. "You really are real."
Gabrielle leaned quietly against her horse's shoulder, just watching her partner's face as she gazed down at Seve. It had been, she mused, such an incredible journey they'd been on the past couple years to bring them to this place, and this time, and this awestruck little boy.
The former Destroyer of Nations dropped to one armored knee, and rested her greaved arm on it. "I'm real." Xena answered quietly. "And I'm going to do my best to make sure what happened to you doesn't happen to anyone else." She held out a hand, palm up. "Deal?"
Seve swallowed audibly, but set his much smaller hand atop hers. "Deal."
Xena stood, and vaulted aboard her horse, gathering the reins in and backing Iolaus as Gabrielle mounted, then they turned and started off. "Not good." The warrior gave her partner an uneasy look.
Gabrielle swallowed a lump of worry. "I know… maybe we should hurry." Life was dangerous, few people knew that better than she did, but this was her family. Her quiet, backwater, mundane, boring family, whose only experience with excitement usually came through…
Her. "Let's go."
The horses settled into a canter, and they traveled in silence through the damp air. The road stretched forward, and as they came over a short rise in it, they saw a darkened patch in the soft amber of the wheat fields they were passing. "Damn." Xena stood in her stirrups, spotting burnt out shells, and worse.
"Do we stop?" Gabrielle wrapped the reins of her horse around her hands.
"No point." Her soulmate quietly answered, settling back down. The fires were still smoldering though.. maybe they hadn't gotten to far yet.
No one else was on the roads, she realized, missing the usual cart and foot traffic that generally wound it's way between the scattered villages in this part of the country. They hadn't passed anyone since coming down from the mountains, and that… that was a very bad sign. Her mind skipped forward past Potadeia, to another small village not very far away. She tucked her knees a little further into Iolaus' warm neck and urged him on faster.
Gabrielle felt her heart start to pound, as she followed Xena around a familiar bend, and came on the small stream that bounded her hometown. They splashed through it, the horses swimming as they hit the deeper center, and scrambled out along the upper bank, where a large muddy stretch showed the churning of many hooves. "Oh gods." She whispered, as she saw Xena reach up and unclasp her cloak, allowing the fabric to slip down and freeing her sword arm. She reached back and untied the strap holding her staff in place, and felt it fall down into her palm, her fingers closing on it in nervous instinct. They moved rapidly up the path, and she shivered, as her horse's hooves crossed the very place when she'd first met Xena.
The wind shifted suddenly, and brought sound to their ears, sounds that made her heart sink as the yells, and the screams, and the sickening thuds of wood on flesh came to them. A tiny cry escaped her, and she saw Xena lean forward, releasing the reins on Iolaus and tucking them around her saddlehorn as she readied herself to fight. "Trouble!" The warrior warned, yelling the word back to her.
"I know." Gabrielle answered grimly.
They swept around the last bend in the path, and saw chaos before them. Half of Potadeia was in flames, and the other half was being pulled down by men on horseback, men who were also beating down any resistance with savage efficiency.
Xena rose up in her stirrups and yelled at the top of her lungs, her voice rising over the screams, and the sound of burning thatch. Eyes turned her way and she pulled her sword from its sheath, twirling it in one hand, and driving for the largest group of raiders.
Gabrielle yanked her horse to a halt and slid off, getting her balance before she swung her staff at a rushing raider, taking his feet out from under him. She glanced around frantically, spotting a few familiar faces, most of who were running in terror. She got in front of another raider, and slammed the end of her staff into his chest, knocking him down and herself back a step, as she caught sight of a welcome face not far away. "Lila!" The bard yelled the name as she ducked a club, and smacked her staff into an oncoming soldier.
Xena slashed down, separating an arm from it's owner, and kicked the bloody body from her, as she ploughed through a crowd of raiders, evading pike blows as she stabbed down, using her sword in one hand and her dagger in the other, sending splashes of blood over the ground and herself. She could feel the heat from the burning buildings close by, and she backed a moment, locating Gabrielle with an innate instinct.
A sword flickered near her, and she deflected it with absent skill as she observed her partner battling towards a small group of pinned down villagers. A raider came at her from behind, and Xena pulled a dagger from her boot, sending it flying with a flick of her wrist, and nailing the charging man in the throat. A spray of blood spurted out, and he stumbled, falling and missing the bard's leg with his outstretched fingers by mere inches.
Gabrielle never even saw him. Never knew how close he'd come, how narrowly she'd missed the blow that would have cut her in half.
That was all right. That's what Xena was there for, after all, right?
Xena swept her arm back and took of a head, kicking the crumpling body away from her and slamming an elbow back into a man trying to pull himself up by Iolaus' saddle, breaking his neck. Her sword took out another, slashing through the soldier's defenses and sending the blade plunging into his chest. He gurgled in shock as he slid down Iolaus' leg.
Two men came at her now, mounted, with pikes couched under their arms hoping to spear her before she could reach them. Hastily, she sheathed her sword and grabbed the closer one, bending her body around and forcing the rider to stand in his stirrups. He released the pike to keep from being thrown from the saddle and she swung it back around, slamming him in the head with it. The second rider swerved, and came at her again, and she dropped the pike, ducking to let the other one slip past her, then loosening her boots from the stirrups and lunging at the soldier, taking him from the saddle and onto the muddy, bloody ground. She found her arms around his neck and simply squeezed, wrenching it around and breaking his neck with sodden snap.
A yell, this time to retreat. Xena smiled grimly, and drew her sword again, whistling for Iolaus and pulling herself up into the saddle one handed as he bucked closer, kicking out at two men trying to grab him. The stallion's hooves were deadly, and he reached around, clamping teeth on a third and shaking his head, ripping through skin and bone with a crunch.
"Atta boy." Xena patted his neck, as she directed him towards the village center, where a group of solders was forming, intending on escaping. "Oh no.. I don't think so." She growled, bolting for them, and feeling the blood rise to her nostrils, sending little thrills of lust down her body. A yell forced itself from her guts as she hit them, and they scattered, unable to stand before the ravaging of her sword.
"Stay down!" Gabrielle grabbed running villagers and pulled them into the half burned smithy, shoving them down behind the anvil and ducking a thrown club as it went by her. "Lila.. where's mom and dad?"
Her sister had scrambled closer. "At the house….with Lennat and Gabriel…I was at the market." Lila shouted back. "Thank all the gods, Gabrielle.. it's a miracle you guys showed up."
The bard peered through the carnage as she heard Xena's wild yell go up, just in time to see her soulmate nearly cut a man in half, then spin around and take another soldier's head off. The appendage bounced along the ground and Xena didn't even pause, moving on to cut and slash her way through the now disorganized soldiers. A chilling laugh erupted from her, as she chased one down, grabbing his helmet with one hand, and brining her hilt down hard with the other. Gabrielle swallowed hard, and shoved her queasiness down for another time. "I know.. stay down." She fended off a running raider, who was now more interested in escaping the rampaging warrior than doing any more harm. "I think the worst is over."
Eyes were beginning to peek up over the anvil. 'Not fer them." One man stated, with a note of savage satisfaction in his voice. "Kill em all, Xena!" He shouted, shaking a fist at the soldiers.
Gabrielle closed her eyes for a long moment, then opened them, and exhaled. "C'mon, Lila… let's go make sure everyone's all right at the house."
"Right with you." Her sister murmured, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey… " She gave the bard a quick hug. "How are things at home?"
Gabrielle tugged her across the smoldering central square, full of debris and fallen bodies. "We're headed there now." She told her sister, as she caught the triumphant Xena's eye. The warrior was seated firmly on Iolaus' back, her sword still out and dripping, as she surveyed the carnage. A few of the soldiers had escaped, but most of them were dead, or dying, or… Gabrielle winced in pieces on the ground. "I'm going to check out my folks." She yelled to her partner, who lifted her sword in acknowledgement, and headed the horse towards one of the still burning buildings.
Lila gazed at her as they continued on. "You are? I didn't think you'd…. where were you guys, then? We sent word down to Amphipolis a fortnight back.. when we started hearing word of raids out north of here."
The bard stepped gingerly over a severed arm. "Finding the
source of them." She muttered. "It's really bad, Lila.. we were headed home to
try and figure out what to do about it."
"Oh." Her sister murmured.
"Right..I should have figured…everyone else is freaking out, naturally you guys
would be out there trying to fix it." She followed the bard down the narrow path that
led to their parent's home, then almost crashed into her as Gabrielle abruptly stopped.
"What…."
She fell silent, looking over a very still Gabrielle's shoulder, too shocked to even breathe.
Their childhood home was gone, burnt to the ground and letting off a thick, noxious smoke, with bits of the dwelling scattered over the clearing. Nearby, Lennat knelt, holding a frightened Gabrielle in his arms, next to Hecuba, as they both simply stared at the still, bloody figure lying lifeless on the ground.
"Da." Gabrielle's voice somehow shaped the word.
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Xena scooped up a bucket of water from the well, striding over to the burning barn and throwing it on the flames, while she directed the shell shocked Potadeians to do the same. Tectdus the smith limped over, throwing his own bucket on the blaze, and wiped a soot-covered brow.
"Twas our luck again you showed up, Xena."
The warrior nodded briefly, dodging a frightened sheep and heading back for the well. "Wish it'd been sooner...damn."
"No.. " The smith disagreed, ambling along next her. "We'd have nothing left otherwise… these damn animals… we'd heard they were headed this way, but didn't think they'd bother sommat as small as we."
"I don't think the size was the issue..they were just out for slaughter." Xena sighed, as she hefted the bucket, and nodded encouragingly as several more men and a few women joined them.
"They found it." Tectdus commented softly, as he stepped over a headless body. "Wasn't what they'd wanted, I'm thinking."
No. Xena still felt the chills running down her spine, and the smell of blood was getting in her nose, waking up darker instincts that had almost sent her after the few men who had escaped, to cut them down and scatter their bodies up and down the road. "Probably not." She muttered, flexing her hands a little. Then she straightened, and her breath caught, as a knot formed her her guts. She handed her bucket to a shorter man just running up. "Here… take that."
She broke into a run, and headed towards her partner's old homestead, her boots pounding on the damp sand as she leaped over burning logs and bodies and picked up speed, keeping her arms close to her body, and her hand close to her sword hilt.
Her steps only slowed when she entered the clearing, and saw the devastation, her eyes finding her partner's kneeling body with unerring precision. "Oh… damn." Xena found herself whispering, as she saw the still body. Herodotus had never been a fan of hers, exactly, but…
Gabrielle looked up as she heard the footsteps, and her eyes met Xena's in silent entreaty. The warrior went to her side and knelt, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey."
The bard was silent, then she sniffled a little. "They were inside the house." She looked up at the burnt structure. Lila had taken Gabriel from her husband and was cuddling him, kneeling in shock next to her mother. Hecuba's face was a mask. "And they set it on fire, Xena."
The warrior bowed her head. "Gabrielle.."
"They set it on fire.. just to destroy everything and kill everyone." The bard repeated, angrily. "For no reason.. they didn't want food, or supplies, or….for nothing, Xena, for NOTHING!"
"Shh.. I know." Xena gently circled her shoulders with both arms. "I know."
"For nothing." Gabrielle repeated, softly. "And they tried to ride them down when they ran out of the house." She went on, shakily. "Like that wasn't enough." The bard half turned, and buried her face in her partner's shoulder.
Xena hugged her, gazing over her shoulder at a silent Lennat, who was seated on the muddy ground, with one arm wrapped around his knee.
"I had the baby." The man spoke tonelessly. "They hit me from behind, and I went down, and the next thing I knew, Herodotus was over me, and there was blood everywhere." He looked down at his father in law, whose body was sliced almost in half, though they'd covered him with a bit of cloth. "It happened so fast." He looked up at Xena. "Did you see the bastard there? He was a big… had curly black hair, and a red tunic."
Xena stroked the soft pale hair, and exhaled. "I saw him." She acknowledged quietly. "I sent him to Hades."
Hecuba finally looked up. She had been kneeling, with her hands folded on her knees, gazing at her husband as though in puzzled disbelief. Now she looked Xena right in the eye. "I'm glad you did." Her eyes shifted to Gabrielle's face, then they dropped again.
Lila wiped at her eyes. "Come on, mamma… let's… we can go over to our house.. Lennat, can you..I.."
"I'll take care of it." Xena interrupted firmly. "Lennat, take Lila and Hecuba out of here."
Numbly, he stood, guiding Lila as she joined him with the whimpering Gabriel. "Come on, mamma."
Hecuba sighed, outwardly very composed, then she put a hand on Herodotus bloody head, and bent over and kissed him. She got to her feet and folded her hands, following her daughter and son in law without another backward glance.
Silence fell over them. Finally, Xena sucked in a breath. "Gabrielle.. I'm … I'm sorry.. I should have.." Fingers touched her lips, stilling them.
"Don't." The bard whispered. "Because if you start with ifs and coulds, then I have to start thinking about all the minutes I wasted today, and I can' do that right now." Her voice was shaking, and she swallowed hard. "Xena, that was my home." She looked over her soulmate's shoulder. "I was born there."
"I know." The warrior felt horrible.
"And for what?" The bard asked. "For what, Xena? Where is the sense behind any of this?" She gazed sadly down at her father's body. "My da." Her voice broke, and she started crying. "May the gods damn them, Xena… I hope Hades sends every last one of them straight to Tartarus."
The warrior sat down on the ground, and pulled her soulmate into her arms, cradling her as she sobbed, the helpless grief jerking her body.
"And what if it's like this at home?" Suddenly, the bard's head came up, and she stared wildly at her partner. "Xena…"
"Shh." The warrior stroked her cheek. "It's okay… this was an advance group.. they haven't gotten that far yet." She kissed Gabrielle's head gently. "And you know Amphipolis is a lot better prepared for this kind of thing… all your Amazons are there, and the militia, and the forest dwellers."
Gabrielle put her head back down. "That's right." She closed her eyes, and shook her head. "Sorry.. I'm just…."
"I know." Xena replied. "Listen.. why don't you go be with your family… let me take care of this."
The bard looked around them. "They can't stay here." Her eyes went to Xena's face. "Not anymore..not until this is over."
The warrior nodded. "Yeah.. we'll talk about that." She stood up, taking Gabrielle with her. "Go on… they need you."
Gabrielle considered a moment, then she shook her head. "I'll help you."
"You don't have… "
"I know.. I want to." The bard stated, firmly. "It'll give me a chance to say goodbye."
Xena accepted that, and nodded. "Okay."
They set to work amid the ruins of a lifetime.
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"There are two score dead." Tectdus was seated on a bit of wreckage, along with the surviving elders of the village, all two of them, and Xena. The warrior was standing, one hand on either side of the ruined doorway to the elder's home staring out at the destruction.
A pyre had been built, largely by her, with the horses help, and a few of the unhurt villagers. She'd managed to keep herself pretty tightly focused, at least until she'd gotten into the ruined barn to salvage any wood, and found a one, last victim.
Poor kid. Xena leaned against the doorway. Probably never knew what hit him. Alain had been one of the few people in the town she'd truly liked, Lennat's half brother, and a good friend to Argo and the other horses left in his simple, but thorough care.
She'd carried his body out last, and laid him next to the rest, then went to find Tectdus, to tell him about his son.
It was one of the most hateful things she'd ever had to do, at the end of one of the more hateful days of her life. She hurt, both her heart, and her body, which she'd strained to it's limits getting things arranged. And she hurt for Gabrielle, whose grief was tying her guts up in knots as the bard struggled with accepting the loss of a parent, and a good part of her childhood.
"Now what?" The older of the two remaining leaders asked softly. "It'll take half a season to get this place even part ways rebuilt.. and we've lost so many people."
Xena turned, and leaned against the charred doorway. "You can't stay here." She stated, flatly. "Chances here, they'll be back again…and you'll be helpless."
They didn't even look surprised, she realized. They simply nodded in weary acceptance.
"I don't know if I could anyway." Tectdus replied softly. "We've lost more than homes and possessions… " His eyes filled with tears, and he wiped his face hurriedly. "And for what?"
It was what they all asked. Xena ducked her head, and studied the stained floor. "I wish I could answer that." She murmured. "I can't…except to wonder of Andreas just thinks burning everything out is the easiest way to conquer." Her eyes lifted. "There are a group of cave systems south of here, nearer to Amphipolis. If you can get everyone there, you'll have shelter, and there's good, running water."
The elder shook his head. "You spend an entire lifetime building up a future… and someone just comes and takes it away from you." He stared at his hands. "It was a good year, too. Would have been a great harvest."
How many people did you do this to, Xena? And you never even thought about it. "I'm sorry." She exhaled.
The elder looked up. "Don't you be, Xena… weren't for you, we'll all of us be dead, every last one, instead of burying the lot of those scum."
And I used to be those scum. Interesting perspective. The warrior felt nauseas. "Yeah… well, if you can get everyone together and moving.. we'll escort you to the caves…just in case." She tapped the doorway. "Think about it.. I'll be back." She had to get out of there, away from the burned smell, and the odor of grief that was overwhelming her.
Or was it guilt?
She walked down the path leading to the river as the setting sun poured across it, breaking through the omnipresent cloud layer that had plagued them all day. As she passed a familiar, if overgrown spot she stopped, and put her hand against the nearest tree.
Good a place as any, right? Xena sighed, and sat down on the ground, leaning back against the wood and running her fingers through the loose sand. She tried to recall her state of mind that day years past, when she'd buried her weapons and armor, and was faintly surprised to find she really didn't have much in common with the person she'd been then.
She let her head rest against the tree, closing her eyes against the pounding ache she'd developed. They'd have to spend the night, of course, which would be a horror, then get the remaining villagers to safety before they could even think about moving on to Amphipolis.
And then, it really started. She had made a mental list of notes that had to go out, to the forest dwellers, to Cirron, other places, the Amazons… the centaurs…fortunately, most of the help she could expect were from far outlying areas, the last places Andreas thugs would have gotten to.
Like here. She looked around herself and sighed. Potadeia. She had a mixed bag of memories about the place, but bottom line, it was her soulmate's birthplace. She didn't regret taking retribution on it's attackers.
Soft footfalls came to her, and she felt a brief smile appear as she recognized the presence, and the distinctive rolling gait. Still walks like a badger. Xena tilted her head and gazed up as Gabrielle stopped next to her, and settled down to the ground cross-legged. "Hey… how're you doing?"
The bard nodded a bit, plucking a grass stem up and twisting it. "They say the dead can hear the thoughts of the living."
Xena's dark lashes blinked a few times. "They can." She replied, very simply.
The green eyes lifted to hers. "The good, and the bad, right?"
The warrior went very still for a long moment. "Yes."
Gabrielle nodded slowly. "He finally got to be the hero, Xena." She uttered. "And you know.. I'd forgiven him…. I wish I'd told him that."
Xena shifted, so that she and her partner were knee to knee. "I think he knew that… and you know, Gabrielle…with everything that happened, in his own way, he really did love you."
The bard's lips tightened, and she turned her head away a little.
Xena put a hand on her leg, rubbing the skin with her thumb. The bard captured her fingers and pulled them up against her lips, pressing them to her and closing her eyes. "I want them to come with us, Xena."
"Your family?" The warrior questioned.
Gabrielle nodded, and sniffled. "Yeah… I… I'd like it if they'd come to Amphipolis… I think it would be better for them there." She gazed up at her soulmate. "They know our family.. it's more…secure… I.."
"Sure." Xena agreed softly. "I think that's a good idea… have you asked them?" Not that Amphipolis was immune, but surely, they had a better chance there.
"I wanted to talk to you first." Gabrielle replied. "But I think they'll say yes… actually, I think they're going to ask us if they can come with us." She paused. "It would make me feel a lot better…at least Id' know my mother would have someone to talk to."
"My mother." Xena agreed. "Sure.. its' a good idea."
Gabrielle folded her hands around her partners, then looked up, searching her face. "You look exhausted." She released one hand and reached up, tracing a bruise across Xena's cheekbone.
"I am." The warrior admitted. "I think I pulled a few things… got hit a few times… " She shook her head. "But I think hurting for you is the worst of it." Her eyes went to her partner's face, as a look of indescribably gentleness came into it. "C'mere." She held out her arms and the bard crawled into them, the warmth of their connection hitting her with a powerful surge.
Gabrielle rested against her. "Xe?"
"Hmm?"
"I want to stop him." The bard tilted her head and looked steadily up at her. "I want us to stop him." A pause. 'Whatever it takes to do that."
Xena felt a faint, almost puzzled smile cross her face as she realized that this determined, confident young woman really had very little in common with the brash girl she'd first met here. "We will." She promised softly. "I swear it."
We've both changed, the warrior decided, as Gabrielle put her head back down and patted her side comfortingly. We've changed ourselves. We've changed each other.
I'm not the Destroyer of Nations anymore.
I'm not. Xena's eyes widened as the truth of the statement penetrated at last. She let her chin rest thoughtfully against Gabrielle's head.
Considering the possibilities.
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