Copyright 1998, A.J. Firebaugh
Reclamation
Part 3
Xena thought about how much her life had changed since Gabrielle had come to her. By the gods, everything I am, I am because of you, Gabrielle, she thought. Were it not for you Iwould have succumbed to my warlord ways again a long time ago. I would be an evil, evil, thing. Xena moved in what she hoped was a forward direction. "Gabrielle!" She called again. She listened for the echo and moved toward the very first sound; the first bounce. That was the direction she wanted. "Gabrielle!" She called the name. The darkness was impenetrable, the lack of footing unnerving. Xena felt at her side and made sure the chakram was there. It brought her some comfort. She made sure the small talisman shield, hanging lightly on her left arm, gave some slight protection to her injured hand. But it offered no glow to ease the darkness.
As the blackness began to penetrate her heart again, Xena called out. "Don't forget,
Gabrielle!" She listened to the echo. "Don't forget how I promised you that I
would not return to evil if something happened to you! Do you remember that
Gabrielle? Gabrielle!"
Xena remembered. She remembered how, while tracking Callisto, Gabrielle had made Xena
promise her that if something were to happen to her she would not become, as Gabrielle put
it, "a monster."
"I promised you Gabrielle. I won't forget." Xena wasn't sure why she was
thinking these thoughts. She wanted to think good thoughts, though. It seemed necessary.
She remembered Gabrielle's touch. She remembered how Gabrielle had leaned over her to kiss
her when she thought the Warrior Princess had died from a dart from Callisto's gun. She
remembered holding Gabrielle after Dahok had harmed her, trying to encircle her in her
arms and protect her. I should have protected you more, Gabrielle, Xena thought. I
shouldn't have left you with that bastard Krafstar. The guilt brought a wave a blackness,
and Xena halted to let it pass before she called out her friend's name again and moved
another step. She had no idea
how long she had been in this absolute darkness, but she had a feeling that it was much
longer than she liked. There seemed to be no end, no change in the echoes.
"Gabrielle!" A slight sobbing sound escaped from Xena's lips this time as she
called out the name. A dark demon, the voice had said. For Xena, there was only one light.
"Gabrielle, I love you!" She cried out.
Something happened. Xena felt ground beneath her foot. What was going on?
"Gabrielle!" No change, but Xena moved forward, the steps beneath her now a bit
more solid. The darkness still pierced her. She continued step after slow step, her hands
feeling to her side, finding nothing. Only her boots now secured something, and even
though she had no idea what
she walked on, the solid matter beneath her was of some comfort. "Gabrielle! I'm
coming!" She cried. "Hang on!" Xena wondered if Gabrielle could hear her.
Could she not answer? Xena thought of all the times Gabrielle had managed to get herself
caught, trapped by Xena's foes. I should have left her in Potedia, Xena thought. Joxer's
right. This is all my fault.
Suddenly the flooring vanished and Xena was once again in empty
space. She stopped. What caused that? Why would the solid flooring come and go? Something
wasn't right. "Gabrielle" she cried. What had she said before? "Gabrielle,
I love you!" The floor beneath her returned, a rocky but solid foundation. "I
love you Gabrielle!" Positive thoughts, Xena realized. I have to think good,
positive thoughts, and I can't blame myself. "I'm coming Gabrielle." She
listened for the echo and moved towards it. It seemed closer, louder.
"You have my heart, Gabrielle!" She cried. "Do you remember? Do you
remember when we fought the Horde? Do you remember that, Gabrielle? You saved me! Your
love saved me! Save me now, Gabrielle!" And suddenly there were walls. Xena
stopped. There was an answer to this. She wasn't quite sure what it was yet, but there was
an answer. She had walls and a floor. No light, but she had walked in blindness once
before to save Gabrielle. She had found her way then; she would do it now. She would risk
everything for Gabrielle.
"Gabrielle, do you remember how we comforted each other during long nights at the
campfire? The secrets we shared? There are some things only you and I know. We love each
other. And it's a pure love!" The air around Xena was graying now. "I'm coming
Gabrielle! Save me, Gabrielle! Please, yell out so I can find you! I know you love me too!
Prove me right!"
Xena's leather swished in the dark. She could make out the details of the talisman of Ares
now. She heard a howling sound and a cry of pain. "Gabrielle!" She rushed
forward. No reaching now. Now she had solid ground, walls, and a lighted path. She raced
ahead, trying not to limp with the injury in her right thigh. She entered a huge cavernous
room, as wide as all of Tartarus, Xena thought. Far to the left a huge gaping skull mouth
dominated the area. And in it, caught between long jagged teeth, was Gabrielle.
"Gabrielle!"
"Xena!"
Xena stopped. Was it Gabrielle? Or was it Hope? She couldn't tell. "Where's
Hope?" "I don't know. She saved me when I fell, and then I ended up here. Hurry
Xena! Hurry!"
Xena took another step forward. The air was gray and heavy with fog. She could taste death
and bad ale. "Gabrielle, are you hurt?"
"No Xena. Hurry up, will you? I want out of here!"
Xena stopped. Would Gabrielle have said that?
"Xena!?"
Xena couldn't tell for sure who was behind the skull's teeth. She moved closer. "Let
me see if there's some way to get you out of here Gabrielle."
"Just use your sword!"
Xena took a step back. "No, you're not Gabrielle. You're Hope."
"Xena, what are you saying?"
"Gabrielle would have already figured out how to open this trap. She would have at
least
pointed out the latch to me." Xena pointed to a relatively simple opening contraption
on the
right side of the skull. "Gabrielle would have done that immediately, if she hadn't
freed herself by now, which she could have done simply by throwing a few rocks at
that." Xena stepped lightly on the lever and the teeth of the skull opened.
The image of Gabrielle
threw back her head and laughed. "You are good, Xena!" Her voice, like
Gabrielle's, made Xena shiver involuntarily. "You are so good. And I guess I didn't
give my little mother credit enough for brains either, if you think she would have figured
that out. Of course I suppose that was rather simple, wasn't it?" Hope looked askance
at Xena, her eyes flickering. Xena saw the dark light dance in her pupils.
"What have you done with Gabrielle?"
"Oh Xena," Hope said as she moved around, circling the warrior princess.
"Mother's safe, don't worry. She's with Father. You should have seen their happy
little reunion."
"Ahhhhh!!!" Xena drew her sword from her scabbard. "You wicked little
bitch!"
"Come on, Xena." The voice was Gabrielle, the look was Gabrielle, but this was
not Gabrielle. "Don't be like that. You know Mother does have some sex drive, and
Father can be
such a handsome thing when he's all aflame. I'm sure you remember."
Xena's temper flared. She moved to stab Hope, but was stopped immediately by Hope's mental
powers. They seemed stronger to the Warrior Princess, who had been trapped in them just
before Gabrielle had pulled her daughter over the ledge and into the pit. "What are
you doing?" Hope laughed. "You can't stop me. You don't even have the hind's
blood knife."
"Guess again." Xena said. "I don't have the hind's blood knife, but I have
the hind's
blood."
Hope's eyes opened in alarm. "What are you talking about?"
"My sword." Xena replied, her voice low and even. "I rubbed it with the
hind's blood
knife before I left. There is hind's blood on my sword. Do you want it or should I give it
all to Daddy?"
Hope laughed. "You're too late anyway, Xena. My child has been born; my mother even
attended the delivery. My father's will is to be the Way. You may as well accept it."
She moved slowly, watching Xena struggle to bring her sword up to the young goddess's
throat.
"Xena."
The voice behind her was
Gabrielle's. Xena turned her head. Her friend stood before her, dressed in flaming red
with a crown on her auburn hair. "Oh Gabrielle," she whispered.
Hope took the opportunity to disappear as Gabrielle ran to Xena and embraced her.
"I'm sorry Xena, but you'll die if you kill Hope," Gabrielle said, raising her
face from
Xena's bosom to look into the deep blue eyes of her friend. She rubbed a hand over Xena's
face, biting her lip as she saw the gash in her forehead.
Xena pulled her head away
from Gabrielle's hand. "Like I didn't nearly die trying to get
here? You knew I would come after you." Xena's eyes flickered anxiously over
Gabrielle.
"Has he hurt you -- did he -- again?"
Gabrielle shook her head. "No. Nothing's been done to me, not much anyway. I didn't expect Hope to save us when we fell, Xena. I thought we both would die, and I never thought you'd come for me. But then I saw you coming when the pain demons were after you."
"That was you!" Xena remembered the voice. Her voice shook as she recalled her
experience in the darkness. Gabrielle led her gently to a rock.
"I think you need to sit down. Let me look at you." She examined the
badly-wrapped wrist and the blood on her leather. "Xena!"
"I've had worse. Gabrielle, was that you in the darkness, too? The whispering?"
Gabrielle let her tears
fall. "There's a viewing space over there," she pointed behind
Xena, "and I watched you as much as I could. I tried to help you but I couldn't. I'm
so sorry Xena. They almost killed you."
"I suspect that was the point." Xena inhaled sharply as Gabrielle touched the wound in her side. "Aren't we kind of in danger here?"
Gabrielle shook her head. "I don't know of any way out. Hope has grown so strong I
don't know of any way to kill her; and she did have her child."
"And you helped?"
Xena felt her heart darken. Was Ares right about Gabrielle after all?
"I had to; they made
me." Gabrielle pointed to two grinning imps that stood by another
entrance to the cavern. "They're my body guards. Or task masters."
Xena let out a sigh of
relief. Gabrielle had not betrayed her. "Why am I still alive?"
"I think they're surprised that you survived their dark demon."
Xena smiled sadly. "Because of you. Your light brought me through."
"Also, they don't
think you can hurt them down here. But that might change soon if they
think you've really got hind's blood on your sword." Gabrielle looked quizzically at
Xena, but received no reply.
Xena allowed herself to lean into Gabrielle. A wave of nausea flowed over her. She had
no plan, no way to rescue Gabrielle. Her injuries were a little worse than she'd thought;
the gash in her head was the result of a whack and not just a cut. And she'd not had water
in ages. "How long?"
Gabrielle's face creased with concern. Xena was definitely hurt. "How long have we
been down here? Four days, I think. It's hard to tell without the sun."
Xena knew that to be true. Xena glanced at the two imps by the door. "How long do you
think they'll let me sit here free?" Gabrielle shrugged. Xena's face suddenly
hardened.
"Gabrielle, if you've eaten and drank the food here, what if..."
"What if it's like
Persephone and Hades and I'm trapped here because I ate something?"
Gabrielle shook her head as she carefully examined the cut on the warrior woman's head.
"No,
nothing like that is going on here that I know of, Xena. If it is, then I'm caught. But I
need to get you some water for your wounds."
Gabrielle stood up.
"No!" Xena said. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Don't leave me
again."
A laugh brought both women to their feet. "So touching. A bit sickening,
however." Hope stood far enough away so that Xena would not be able to rush for her.
She wore a dark
gown trimmed with red rocks that shined like lava, contrasting with the clothing Gabrielle
wore.
"I hate to break up
this little reunion, but it's time for the baby to eat, Mother dear."
"What does that have to do with Gabrielle?" Xena's hand rested on her chakram.
Hope laughed. "She hasn't told you yet, has she? Mom here is the nursemaid to my
little
apocalyptic child."
Xena turned to Gabrielle and winced at the sight of tears in her eyes. Beneath the gown,
Gabrielle's breasts hung heavy with milk. From the corner of her eye, Xena saw Hope signal
the imps. One of them stepped toward Gabrielle. Xena move to intercept, but Gabrielle
waved her back. "I'll be okay, and I'll bring you some water," Gabrielle said.
She disappeared through a flickering light and was swallowed by darkness.
Xena turned again to Hope. "You're making her suckle that thing you gave birth
to?"
"Watch." Hope
pointed to the wall behind Xena. Xena took a step to her right, slowly
moving until she could see both Hope and the wall. An image formed in a mirror-like
surface
and Gabrielle and the imp appeared. Gabrielle struggled as the imp forced her to lie back
on a smooth surface. The imp slapped the bard hard across the face, and then pulled her
arms high above her head and placed them in chains. The imp then threw the gown up around
Gabrielle's neck, exposing her entire body. Another imp brought a silent, red-faced child
into the room, holding it as far away as possible. The imp pushed the growing baby against
Gabrielle's left breast, which was red and swollen, and Xena's friend let out a sharp cry
as the child savagely began to suck at her nipple.
Xena's anger caught in her throat as she turned to Hope.
"I'm really glad you dropped in, Xena. Although I admit you surprised me by living
this
long. But now you can see what I am and what I can do!" The floor beneath Xena's feet
rumbled, and a vine wrapped itself around Xena's feet. Xena reached for her sword only to
find it flying out of its scabbard of its own accord. Hope caught it neatly in her hand.
"My powers have increased, Xena. My presence with my father has only made me more
powerful. You have no hope!" She laughed at her pun.
Xena struggled to free
herself. The imp at the door grinned evilly at her. Hope
examined the sword in her hand, frowning. She couldn't tell if the sword had hind's blood
on it. Only a drop could cause her harm. "I think you need to be taught a lesson,
Xena. Mother will be back here soon; she can watch and see if you survive the torment of
living."
The mirror-like image on the wall still reflected Gabrielle's predicament. The bard
moaned in pain as an imp moved the child to the other breast. Gabrielle jerked at the
chains.
"Gabrielle!" Xena cried. She struggled harder, but her feet were trapped by this
strange
creation.
Hope circled the trapped warrior. "Which would hurt Xena more? It's a shame I need
Mommy dear. I think it would hurt you more if I hurt her." She moved again. "But
it doesn't
matter. You both will get what you deserve eventually."
Sweat broke out on Xena's brow. She felt the presence of another. She wanted to reach
Gabrielle, but it suddenly appeared as if a wide chasm was between them. Xena knew she was
seeing things, knew there was rock and earth to walk upon, if she could free herself, but
the vision of a precipice was powerful.
Another demon appeared
before Xena. Terrifying in appearance, large and clawed. It's
wide mouth, snarling teeth, pug nose, and beady eyes were frightening. Xena looked at the
demon as it moved to attack.
Gabrielle returned to the
cave, emerging from darkness. "Stop it!" She cried as she saw
the demon. "She's hurt!"
"As if she wouldn't
kill me the first chance she got?" Hope said. "It's your duty to
protect me, Mother."
"Stop calling me mother!" Gabrielle screamed. "I gave birth to you, I
didn't mother
you!"
"No. You threw me away. How much of what I am is your fault, Mother?" She drew
out the last word.