Cath, Bard

OWNERSHIP DISCLAIMER

The characters of Xena and Gabrielle and others belong in their entirety to Universal/MCA, Renaissance Pictures, and all the other powers that be. No copyright infringement is intended. I wrote this story at the urging of my muse; it should never be used for profit. Please do not copy or cite elsewhere without express permission of the author.

VIOLENCE

None.

LOVE/SEX

Just a hint of sex. Lotsa love.

SPOILERS

Possibly – for Series Finale (Season 6)

THANKS

To my compadres at The Tavern Wall (June 2001).

From the scrolls of Gabrielle, Bard of Potidaea, as translated by M. Pappas.

Part 1

For the first time in a long while, I feel able to write. This sensation is both blessing and curse. You see, I am returning to my roots as a bard because something momentous is going to happen and this is the only way I can prepare for it. My muse has turned oracle and, much as I have missed this part of myself, I now approach the quill and scroll with heavy heart.

I don’t know the exact nature of what lies ahead, but I have dreamt of a long journey -- longer than any voyage we have taken… and a great fire, and wave upon wave of fierce, strange warriors. And I dreamt of dragons… and a day when Xena would vanish from my life, though in my dream she was not dead.

I tremble even as I write these words.

The last time I recall putting quill to scroll with skill or purpose was during my search for Xena when she ventured north to return the Rheingold to the Rhine Maidens and redeem Grinhilda. It was a terrible adventure and we lost another year when we should have been together, sharing what we both want with all of our hearts. Fortunately, it ended with a confirmation of our love, but how many times will we cheat death? How often will the quest override our terrible, wonderful need for each other?

Oh, I have written snatches here and there since then, and there was our adventure in an alternate world when our fates again collided with Caesar's. I thought it as good as anything I have ever produced, but then, it was a fantastic

adventure. Perhaps I haven't lost the touch?

It is late and Xena waits for me. This may be my last scroll. Like the warrior facing insurmountable odds with only one arrow left, I must make it count.

Part 2

It is morning now.

I told Xena of my dragon dream as we lay together last night. She listened with such intensity! I realized she was hearing echoes of another time and place. She explained that the images I described are familiar to her and that she has had similar dreams recently. It seems another specter from her history has returned to haunt us.

One more sin of the past demands her atonement. Will it ever end?

Some day, when I learn the full pinch, I plan to make Xena tell me every dark detail of the years before we met. I don’t know how many more of these surprises I can handle… Chin and Lao Ma, Alti, the Northern Amazons, Odin and the Valkyrie… By the gods! This woman led a full life before we met, and it hasn’t been exactly dull since then…

Xena assures me that I will accompany her this time – no telling me I cannot follow, or sneaking off in the night. We are partners in every way now. I stand beside her, whatever happens.

Today we prepare for the journey east. Tomorrow we set out for the Land of the Rising Sun. Tonight we lose ourselves in each other.

I look forward to this adventure because I am with my love. Death or darkness may claim us, but we go forth as we should -- together.

If destiny is kind, I shall write again. If not, know that I, Gabrielle, a simple bard of Potidaea, shared the fate of Xena, the Greatest Warrior of all time. And that is enough for me.

The End