Part 3
By Maggie (acermmg@jumpgate.net) and PeriBear (pwmsn@zianet.com)
Then, suddenly, it was over, the ensuing silence almost eerie.
"You okay?" The voice came out of the darkness and the little bard was extremely relieved to hear it.
"Yeah, I think so. Geez, that’s the worst quake I’ve ever felt—"
"Gabrielle...."
"—and, to top it all off, I was right in the middle of a horrible nightmare. I don’t know which was worse."
"Gabrielle."
"Yeah."
"Come over here a minute, would you? I need your help."
"Sure, I’ll be there in a second. I’ve got to quit shaking first."
"No, I need you to come over here right now."
"Oh ... okay."
The bard rose shakily to her feet and began to make her way around to the other side of the cold campfire. Clouds were crossing the moon and visibility was minimal.
"Ow!" she said after stubbing her toe on ... something, she couldn’t see what.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," Gabrielle answered and inched toward the disembodied voice of her friend. "I can’t see anything!"
Slowly, the moon began to peek around the clouds.
"Oh, gods," Gabrielle whispered as the increasing illumination of the campsite revealed the problem Xena needed help with.
The warrior had been sleeping on her stomach when the earthquake had hit. Now she was pinned to the ground by a huge branch which had fallen diagonally across her lower back.
"Xena!" the little bard cried out as she rushed the short distance to her friend. "Are you alright?"
"Well ... no. Can you get this thing off me?"
"Right away," Gabrielle said as she moved to the end of the branch near warrior’s head.
"No, not this end," Xena said. "The other end. Now, it’s very heavy, so don’t try to move it more than a little at a time."
"Right," the blonde said as she began the long and laborious process of moving the log.
Several minutes later, sweat dripping from her chin, Gabrielle was able to push the fallen branch off her friend, after which she collapsed to the ground.
"Everything okay?" the warrior asked.
"Yeah, I just really have to catch my breath now. Are you alright?" No response. "Xena?"
"Come up here, would you," the warrior said and the little bard scooted across the ground from Xena’s feet to her head.
"You okay?"
"I don’t think so. I can’t seem to move my legs."
"What?! You’re kidding, right?"
"No ... I wish I was."
Stuffing down her rising fear, the bard crawled closer to her friend and grasped the warrior’s shoulders.
"Come on, let’s get you rolled over so you’ll be more comfortable."
"NO!" the warrior shouted, eliciting a muffled gasp from the little blonde. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, but my back absolutely must not move for ... a while."
"You’re going to get the feeling in your legs back, though. Right?"
The warrior hesitated, then said, "Lie down here, I want to see your face."
The bard obliged and stretched her body out perpendicular to that of her friend, resting her chin on her fist, her fist on the ground. Xena just looked at her for a moment, dimly perceiving her friend’s open, worried face in the pale moonlight.
"Obviously, my back’s been injured. It’s probably just some swelling and pressure on my spine that’s cut off the feeling to my legs. Once the swelling goes down, I’ll get the feeling back and will be able to move them again."
"And ... if that’s not what the problem is...?"
Xena looked deep into her friend’s sea-green eyes and said, "Then my back won’t be just bruised and swollen ... it’ll be broken and I’ll be permanently paralyzed."
Both women were silent, trying to read in the eyes of the other how she was dealing with this piece of information and each trying to camouflage her own feelings so her friend wouldn’t see too much.
"Okay," Gabrielle finally said, "what do we do?"
"Cold compresses. That’s the only thing we can do."
"Right," the little bard said as she rose to her feet, then crossed to where Argo’s saddle and saddlebags had been placed near a bushy expanse of greenery. She dug into one of the packs and extracted a large piece of blue cloth. On her way back to her prone friend, she picked up the waterskin from where she had left it near the fire the night before.
Kneeling next to the warrior, Gabrielle pulled the cork from the container, wadded up the blue cloth and poured all the remaining water on it. Unfortunately, however, there was very little liquid left in the skin and the cloth ended up, at best, barely damp.
"Okay," the little blonde said, "this might be a little cold."
"Doesn’t matter. I won’t be able to feel it."
The bard stared for a moment at her friend’s back, the possible consequences of the earthquake’s destruction finally hitting her full force. The bard’s throat grew tight. She swallowed against her own fear and took a very deep breath. After placing the dampened cloth on the warrior’s back, knowing the cool wetness would soon penetrate the thin, white shift her friend was wearing, Gabrielle picked up the empty waterskin and crossed to retrieve her staff from where it lay near her blanket.
Xena carefully, slowly turned her head to the right, towards her friend, and said, "What’re you doing?"
"We’re all out of water. I’m going back to that lake we passed late yesterday and fill ‘er up."
"No! Absolutely not! I don’t want you going back there alone. Don’t forget about those thugs we barely missed having a run-in with. They might still be around."
"And they might not," Gabrielle said as she crossed back to her friend, staff and waterskin in hand. She again kneeled by the warrior and placed a gentle hand on Xena’s shoulder. "Don’t worry. I’ll be more than careful. Besides, if they are still around, they’ve probably gone back to sleep by now."
"No! It’s too dangerous."
The bard put down the water skin and the staff and laid down next to the warrior.
"I’ve got to do this and I’ve got to do it now," Gabrielle said, hoping Xena would see the determination in her eyes despite the dim light. "If we’re going to get you back on your feet as quickly as possible, I’ve got to keep your lower back cold. The only way I know to do that is with water."
The dark-haired woman opened her mouth to protest, but the blonde held her ground.
"No. Let me finish. Now, if you’ll stop being so protective for a minute, you’ll see I’m right about this."
Xena eyed her stubborn friend for a long moment, then nodded.
"Okay. Good," the bard said as she picked up her staff and the waterskin, stood and crossed the campsite, heading south. "Now, I shouldn’t be too long—the lake isn’t that far back. Ooh! I know! I’ll catch some fish for breakfast while I’m there."
"Gabrielle."
"Yeah?"
"Would you put my chakram and sword in my hands before you leave?"
The little bard froze, her back to the warrior. Suddenly, she realized Xena was totally and completely helpless. ‘Damn,’ she thought, ‘I can’t leave her when she’s like this.’
"You know, maybe you’re right," she said as she turned around. "Maybe it’s not such a good idea for me to go off by myself. There must be some other way to keep the compress cold."
"Look, I know what you’re thinking and I know what you’re trying to do right now. So, stop it. You were right. We need the water and now is the perfect time for you to go get it. It’ll be safer for you in the dark ... and for me."
Gabrielle swallowed hard against the lump that had risen again in her throat, then crossed to pick up the warrior’s weapons.
"I guess you’re right," she said as she placed one weapon in each of her friend’s hands.
"Of course I am. Now, go on, get out of here. And make sure you catch alot of fish. I’m hungry already. I’ll be famished by the time you wander back here."
The little bard smiled against this new fear for her friend and said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah," as she again turned south and left camp.
Xena waited until she could no longer hear the bard making her way through the underbrush, then slowly turned her head back to the left, scraping her chin on the blanket beneath her. ‘This is just great,’ she thought. ‘I dare not even lift my head off the ground or I could....’ But she didn’t want to finish that thought.
She stared into the dark shadows of the night, trying to calm her mind. Fear was not a stranger to her, but her most valuable weapon against it had always been action. That was not part of her armory now, however, and she found herself fighting to control the pounding of her heart every time she heard a noise in the forest.
The sun had been up for almost an hour when Gabrielle finally neared their camp. She’d tried to run most of the way back, but the forest and underbrush were so thick in places she’d been forced to slow to a more sedate pace.
As she broke through the bushes and entered the small clearing, the first thing she saw was her friend’s eyes, wide with a fear just short of terror, and the death grip Xena had on her sword, a grip so tight her knuckles were a deadly white.
"Where in Tartarus have you been?!" the warrior shouted. "I’ve been worried sick. What in Tartarus took you so long?!"
"I’m sorry," the little bard immediately started apologizing. "I came back as fast as I could."
As she crossed the campsite, she laid the six fish she’d caught on one of the rocks surrounding the campfire. When she reached the warrior’s side, she knelt down and began to gently, but firmly, pry the fingers frozen with fear from the sword’s handle.
"Dammit, Gabrielle, why do you have to be so irresponsible all the time? I laid here for—what? two or three hours? -- waiting and worrying about you. When the sun came up and you still weren’t back, I was convinced something had happened ... and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it!"
"I know," the blonde said quietly. "I took too much time fishing. I know how much you love trout and I wanted to get some for you, but it wasn’t easy in the dark."
"Yeah, well ... I was going to say I appreciate your thinking about me, but you weren’t thinking, dammit!"
The little bard lowered her head. She knew where this anger and vehemence were coming from, but that knowledge made the harsh words hurt only a little less.
After setting the sword and chakram aside, she removed the blue cloth from the warrior’s back and wadded it up again. Then she pulled the cork from the waterskin, soaked the compress and reapplied it to her friend’s lower back.
"And these damn flies are driving me crazy!!" Xena waved her hand at her own face in an attempt to ward off one of the pests. "Ever since the sun came up, they’ve been buzzing around like I’m a piece of rotting meat!"
Gabrielle recorked the waterskin, then crossed to her blanket, picked it up and moved back to the warrior. She started to spread it out over her friend’s prone form, but was rudely interrupted.
"What in Tartarus do you think you’re doing now?!"
The bard took a deep breath and clamped her jaws together, resisting the urge to fight back.
"I was just going to put my blanket over you so the flies would stop bothering—"
"It’s too damn hot! Honestly, Gabrielle, just stop and think for a change!"
"Xena."
"What?!"
"Please stop it."
"Stop what? All I’m doing is suggesting that you—"
"That’s enough!!" the little bard shouted and threw the blanket into the dirt with as much force as she could muster. "No more, Xena! I’m not going to take any more!"
She turned and crossed to the rock where she’d placed the fish and silently set about preparing their breakfast.
The warrior watched her with hooded, angry eyes, but held her tongue.
Later that afternoon, after once again soaking the blue compress, as she had done at least a dozen times already, Gabrielle sat across the campsite watching the warrior sleep. All through breakfast and then the rest of the morning, Xena had complained, berated and belittled. She never once thanked her friend for the trout or for constantly waving away the flies while they ate or even for the foresight she’d exhibited in bringing a couple of reeds back from the lake shore so the warrior could use them to siphon water out of her cup.
Not that the little bard expected or required any thanks, but neither did she deserve to be treated like that. As she looked at Xena’s face, now relatively peaceful in sleep, Gabrielle made up her mind not to allow this behavior to continue.
Becoming aware of a need to make a little trip into the forest, the blonde rose and quietly left camp, exercising great caution to avoid stepping on anything which could break or snap or make any other type of noise that might awaken the warrior. As long as she was sleeping, she wasn’t yelling.
After attaining enough distance from camp, the bard relaxed her efforts to move quietly and started searching for a suitable spot to ... well, to do what she needed to do.
Her task completed, she started to turn back toward camp, but stopped and peered into the forest at a splash of red she had glimpsed some distance away.
‘If that’s what I think it is,’ she thought, her salivary glands beginning to react to the possibility, ‘Xena’s going to think she’s died and gone to Elysium.’
The bard made her way through the forest and underbrush, never taking her eyes off the splattering of red for fear of losing track of it in the thick foliage. When she finally reached her goal, her eyes widened in amazement. Not only were these berries the warrior’s favorite food—so much so that they’d made a half-day’s detour once when Xena’d learned from some fellow travelers that a nearby village had just harvested a bumper crop—but the quantity that lay before her was more than she could ever gather in one trip or two or even three. And, because these were wild berries, they were easily twice the size of any she’d ever seen before.
A huge grin pulling at her mouth, Gabrielle began searching the surrounding area for something—anything—that would make a suitable container for transporting this incredible find back to camp.
Her eyes fell on a curve of bark at least two feet long, the sides of which rose six or seven inches. Perfect, she thought, as she crossed to pick it up. She grabbed some leaves and used them to wipe out the inside of the bark, then examined the makeshift container.
The ends were open, of course, but, if she put her hands over the ends while walking back to camp, she doubted she’d lose many berries at all.
Satisfied with her plan, she returned to the enormous patch and started to fill the bark container. Her willpower wavered at one point and she popped several juicy berries into her mouth. As she chewed and swallowed, she closed her eyes in ecstasy, then redoubled her efforts to fill up the bark so she could get back to camp and surprise her friend with this most unexpected treasure. Finally, with her hands clamped over the ends of the makeshift container, Gabrielle worked her way back through the forest.
‘I can hardly wait to see the look on her face when she sees this,’ the little bard thought, grinning broadly. ‘Her eyes are going to pop right—‘
Her thoughts were interrupted by a faint, vaguely familiar sound. She stopped her progress and cocked her head, straining to hear whatever it was that had caught her attention, but all she heard were the usual sounds of the forest.
She shrugged and started walking, but there it was again ... and, this time, she knew what it was. She tightened her grip on the ends of the bark, her muscles now taut with gnawing fear, and increased her pace, running when the thick underbrush would permit.
As she got closer to camp, she could clearly hear Xena’s frightened voice calling her name.
She finally broke through the thick foliage and darted into the small campsite, her eyes rapidly sweeping the area, but she and her disabled companion were its only occupants.
"I’m here! I’m here!" she said quickly, then moved toward her friend. "Wait till you see what I—"
"Where in Tartarus were you?!" the warrior shouted. "What did you think you were doing going off by yourself again—in the daylight!! And you didn’t even have the common sense to put my weapons where I could at least reach them ... even if I couldn’t have used them unless someone got close enough to whack them on the toes." A pathetic, frightened laugh escaped her lips.
The little bard lowered her head, tears flowing unchecked down her face.
"Dammit, Gabrielle, when are you going to start using the sense the gods gave you?"
The younger woman carefully placed the bark container on a nearby stump, then approached her very angry friend and laid down perpendicular to her, not hiding her face, but forcing the warrior to see the tears and hurt so clearly visible there.
"So help me, Zeus, if you go off again without—"
Xena stopped in mid-sentence when the pain on her friend’s face finally registered and she closed her eyes against the sight, knowing she was the cause.
A moment passed, then Gabrielle quietly said, "Are you finished?"
The warrior nodded once.
"I think we need to talk," the bard said.
Steeling herself against what she would see on her friend’s face, Xena opened her eyes and said, "Yeah, I guess we do."
"You want to go first or shall I?"
"I think I’ve said enough, don’t you?"
The little bard paused for a moment, but made no attempt to hide the pain and tears the warrior had caused.
"I know you don’t think I could possibly understand what you’re going through, but you’re wrong. In fact, I think I understand it better than you do ... but that doesn’t give you the right to treat me like you have been."
The warrior closed her eyes again, remorse overwhelming her. "You’re right."
"Okay, since we both agree, let’s just drop it."
The bard started to get up, but was stopped when the warrior reached over and clasped her hand.
"Wait," Xena said, "I owe you much more than that." There was a clear brand of shame in the crystal blue gaze.
Gabrielle settled back down and waited for her friend to continue.
"None of this has had anything to do with you. It’s all been me. I’ve just been taking it out on you." The blue eyes closed tightly, then opened to focus again on the young face. A single tear slipped from the warrior’s eye and dripped onto the blanket beneath her.
"I’m scared, Gabrielle. I’ve never felt so frightened or helpless in my life." The woman’s voice trembled as her words come haltingly, quietly.
The bard squeezed her friend’s hand and whispered, "I know."
"It’s not just the fear that’s eating away at me, it’s the helplessness ... and the helplessness is feeding the fear. When I woke up a little bit ago and realized you were gone, I panicked. I really was afraid something had happened to you, but then fear for myself began to grow. I’m totally helpless, Gabrielle," Xena said, a mournful catch in her throat. "I’m like a turtle that’s been flipped onto its back ... except, if I was on my back, I don’t think I’d be so frightened, because I wouldn’t feel so helpless." The little bard reached out to wipe away the tears that had pooled against the warrior’s nose.
"I’ve never known this kind of helplessness," Xena continued. "I’ve been afraid before—only a fool denies his fears—but I’ve never been so utterly helpless." She paused a moment and looked at her friend. "I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’m handling it very well." The warrior’s face lit in a frail, little grin.
The little blonde smiled past her tears and again squeezed her friend’s hand. She tilted her head to meet the blue eyes directly. "It’s okay. I knew where it was all coming from."
"No, it’s not okay. I’ve been treating you like you were my worst enemy instead of my best friend. I’ll never forgive myself for that."
"No, you probably won’t ... but I already have."
The warrior looked deep into her friend’s green eyes. "How did you get to be so wise?"
"I don’t know. Maybe it’s the company I keep." Gabrielle paused a moment, then started to rise. "I’d better water you down again."
As she stepped away to retrieve the waterskin, Xena waved off a fly that was buzzing around her head. "I swear, I’m beginning to wish I was totally paralyzed so these damn flies wouldn’t drive me so CRAZY!"
The bard chuckled as she knelt back down by her friend. "Oh, I don’t know. If the flies weren’t around, I have a feeling you’d find something else to complain about."
"Me?" the warrior said, innocently.
Gabrielle started to laugh, then said, "Wait a minute."
"What?"
"I almost forgot."
"Forgot what?"
"Oh, you’ll see," the little blonde said as she put down the waterskin, rose to her feet and stepped back toward the surprise she’d left on the tree stump. "When you see what I’ve got here, you’re really going to be sorry you were so mean to me."
As Gabrielle knelt down by her again, Xena said, "I already am."
The bard laid a loving hand on her friend’s shoulder and said, "I know." After a moment, she continued. "Okay, close your eyes."
"Close my eyes?"
"Yeah, close your eyes."
"What’re you going to do with that log?"
"You’ll see."
"Gabrielle."
"Trust me. You won’t be sorry."
The warrior raised her eyebrow, then slowly closed her eyes.
"Now, open your mouth."
Xena’s eyes flew open.
"Just do it."
With a deep, tolerant sigh, the dark-haired woman once again closed her eyes, then opened her mouth and Gabrielle popped a big, juicy berry into it.
The warrior chewed for a moment, then opened her eyes and watched with wonder and delight as the bard lowered the bark container to the ground. "Where did you find these?" she asked, then greedily reached to pop several more into her mouth.
"I found a huge, wild patch of them. There’s enough to keep you happy for days."
"Mmm," the warrior groaned. "These are wonderful!"
Gabrielle smiled as she watched her friend pop berry after berry into her mouth, then picked up the waterskin and reached to retrieve the blue compress, waving flies away in the process. She caught sight of a movement out of the corner of her eye and looked down past her friend’s legs, trying to determine what it was she’d seen. There it was: a fly buzzing around Xena’s foot. When it landed, Gabrielle reached to shoo it away, then froze.
She held her breath as the insect flew around, then once more landed and drew in a quick breath when she again saw her friend’s foot wiggle to shake it off.
"Xena."
"Hmm?"
"Xena!"
"What?"
The little bard scooted back up toward’s the warrior’s head. "You just moved your foot."
"What?" Xena said, a handful of berries hanging in the air halfway to her mouth.
"I just saw it. You moved your foot!" The two looked at each other for a moment, then Gabrielle said, "Do it again."
The warrior took a deep breath and held it, then closed her eyes. A moment later, her foot moved.
"Yes!" the bard shouted with delight, then reached for her friend’s shoulders. "Come on, let’s get you turned over." Slowly and gently, the little blonde helped her friend roll onto her back. "It’s over," Gabrielle whispered. "You’re going to be okay."
"Looks like it," Xena said, relief washing over her that she was no longer helplessly face down on the ground.
Later that evening, after dinner and just a few more of the berries, Gabrielle looked across the flames of the campfire at her friend, who was now propped up on Argo’s saddle, which the bard had dragged over there for that purpose.
Sensing the blonde’s eyes on her, Xena looked up, then said, "Come here a second."
"You want some more berries?" Gabrielle asked, reaching for them.
"No, just ... just come here."
The little bard stepped over to her friend, sat down next to the warrior and crossed her legs.
Xena looked at her for a moment, then said, "I want to apologize again for—"
Gabrielle started to shake her head.
"No," the warrior continued, reaching to take one small hand in hers. "I need to say this and I need to be sure you hear it." The bard nodded.
"I am so sorry for the way I treated you today. I know you know it wasn’t you I was angry with, but that’s no excuse for abusing our friendship the way I did ... and I want to thank you for putting up with me and not just packing up and leaving."
"I’d never do that," the girl said quietly.
"I know ... and I want to thank you for that, too." The blue eyes glistened with tears.
Gabrielle smiled and scooted in closer to the warrior, then reached out to pull her into a hug.
"Hey," the little bard whispered, "that’s what friends are for."
DAY SIX: LE REVENGEANCE (THE REVENGE)
by Maggie & Peribear
"You doing okay?" Gabrielle asked and craned her neck to look up at her tall, dark companion.
"Yeah," Xena grunted slightly as she pulled Argo to a stop in front of the inn.
After finally regaining the use of her legs after the huge branch had pinned her to the ground during the earthquake, paralyzing her for a 16-hour period, Xena’s amazing recuperative powers had been at work.
She was better than anyone else, under similar circumstances, would have been. She was able to walk, although not easily and not without a certain amount of pain; she was able to ride Argo, although at no more than a very slow pace.
Riding was less painful than walking, so, that morning, she’d gingerly mounted the mare and Gabrielle had kept a careful watch of the road, ensuring the mare didn’t step in a rut or do anything else that might accidentally jar her passenger.
The warrior was not even wearing her armor. The fallen branch had not only traumatized the spinal cord, it had left such a livid, painful, diagonal bruise across her back that merely donning her snug-fitting leathers had been a chore. The armor was out of the question.
Therefore, Gabrielle had insisted they detour to a nearby village for a little vacation and to spend that day and night at the inn there. Despite her friend’s objections, she knew the warrior had not slept well the night before and that sleeping on the ground would considerably slow her recuperation. Knowing the bard was right, Xena had acquiesced.
"You sure we can afford this?" the warrior asked. "We have to buy supplies, you know."
"I know, but I also know you’ll get better a lot faster if you can sleep in a bed instead of the hard, rocky ground ... even if only for one night."
Xena carefully and slowly swung her right leg over Argo’s rump. Gabrielle reached up to grasp the warrior’s waist and braced her friend’s descent.
Feet at last on the ground, the dark-haired woman turned to the little blonde. "But you didn’t get much rest last night either," she said, her bronze face grimacing in pain.
"Sure I did," the bard remarked, a thin smile on her face.
"No, you didn’t," the warrior countered firmly. "I slept more than you did. Every time I even considered moving, you were up and across the campsite before I could finish the thought."
"Well, you were—"
"And then there were the times when I simply rolled over in my sleep and was awakened by the quiet, gentle sounds of your ‘Ow! Ow! Ow!’ as you rushed to my assistance ... which, I would just like to point out for the record, I didn’t need."
"Oh, Zeus, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—"
"I know, I know," the warrior said touching the girl’s arm. "It’s okay. All I’m saying is you didn’t get much sleep either."
"Well ... okay," the girl said, giving in.
"Okay what?"
"Okay, you’re right. But it doesn’t matter. I can take a nap. A nap!" the bard cooed. "In the middle of the day." The girl’s eyes glazed over dreamily at the prospect.
Blinking slowly, Xena waited tolerantly, not wanting to interrupt the girl’s enthusiastic anticipation of such a rare treat.
"Besides," the little blonde continued, pulling herself back to reality, "you know me, I’ll tell a few stories and we’ll have plenty of money. Either way, we can afford to stay here today and tonight at least and still have enough left over for supplies." Her eyes brightened. "You know how good I am at haggling. C’mon," she added, touching her friend’s arm. "We’ll be fine."
Xena nodded, knowing the bard was right on all counts, and the two entered the inn.
"Grab a table and order some breakfast," the bard said. "I’ll go arrange for a room"
Gabrielle approached the bartender, who, as it turned out, was also the owner of the inn. After some initial bantering, an important preliminary to the bargaining process, in the bard’s opinion, she got down to some serious haggling and, in a short time, she and the innkeeper had agreed upon a price reasonable for him and affordable for the two women.
Feeling extremely proud of herself, Gabrielle turned, located Xena and headed for their table. So pleased was she with her bargaining prowess, she almost didn’t notice her friend’s suspicious behavior.
The warrior had two bowls of some sort of porridge in front of her, but, the moment she noticed the bard’s approach, she quickly shoved one across the table, surreptitiously placed an unknown object in the bodice of her leathers, then nonchalantly began eating from the bowl remaining in front of her.
"What’re you up to?" Gabrielle asked suspiciously as she slid onto the chair opposite her companion.
"What d’you mean?"
"What’d you put in this?" the bard asked again, carefully inspecting her bowl’s contents.
"Nothing. Why would I put something in your breakfast?" the warrior said, then added, "It’s really good, by the way. You’re going to love it." With that, she spooned some more into her mouth, then looked up to see two suspicious, green eyes trained on her. "What?"
"Oh, you think you’re so clever, don’t you?"
"Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I do," Xena said, smiling, "but what does that have to do with the price of tomatoes?"
"Don’t pull that innocent act with me. I know you too well."
"What are you talking about?"
"You said you were going to get back at me for teasing you so much about Saaasssyy—"
"Keep your voice down, will you?" the warrior said and took a quick look around to make sure no one else had heard, which, of course, no one had since they were the tavern’s only customers at that hour.
"—and laughing at you when we were with your mother and when the skunk got you, but you are so lame. What’d you put in here?" The bard picked up her spoon and started poking around in her bowl. "Henbane? Some clever little surprise? Something to keep me running to the little bard’s room all day?"
Xena stopped eating and turned hurt-filled eyes to her friend. "How can you say that? I would never put anything like that in your food."
"Oh, you’re getting to be quite the actress, aren’t you? ‘I would never put anything like that in your food’," the bard mimicked her friend, then waved the waitress over. "Ha! You’ll have to do better than that."
"Is there something else I can get for you?" the woman asked.
"Yes," Gabrielle said and slid her bowl toward the matron. "Another bowl of porridge, please."
"Is there something wrong with this one?" the woman asked, concern clouding her eyes.
"No. Not a thing," the blonde said. "I’d just rather have a different bowl and a fresh serving."
The waitress turned puzzled eyes to the warrior, who gave her a don’t-ask-me look as she ladled more food into her mouth. Finally, the woman shrugged, picked up Gabrielle’s bowl and withdrew.
"So," Xena said, "I take it we can afford to stay."
The warrior’s eyes followed the befuddled waitress. As the matron passed the innkeeper, the man stopped her and looked down at the bowl of food, a proprietary scowl covering his worn face. While the warrior watched, the two engaged in a spirited discussion, which involved the man’s silent question concerning the full bowl and the woman’s answer: a confused gesture toward Gabrielle. The two looked at the bard, then back at each other, before the woman carried the bowl back into the kitchen.
The bard’s voice drew Xena’s attention back to the table. "Yeah. Not only did I get us a room, but the innkeeper threw in all our meals. So don’t take advantage of his generosity and my haggling talents by tampering with my food again. Okay?"
"For the last time, I did not put anything in your food!" the warrior said, her voice displaying impatience with this game.
"Right. Sure," the bard said, obviously not believing the warrior’s protestations of innocence.
"Oh, I give up," Xena said and returned her attention to the bowl in front of her.
A few moments later, the matron returned to the table and placed another full bowl in front of the bard. The girl slid both hands around the vessel, drawing it protectively towards her, green eyes turned smugly to the warrior.
Xena rolled her eyes upward and spooned the last of her porridge into her mouth. She followed that with a bite of bread, then took a drink of water from her mug.
The bard was enjoying her breakfast when she turned to notice a young man pass their table, struggling with two full buckets of steaming water.
"Oh, good. They remembered," the little blonde said.
"Remembered what?"
"The hot water for your bath."
"My bath?" Xena’s brows rose under her bangs.
"Yeah, I thought you and your back might enjoy a long, hot soak." The green eyes trained on the warrior’s face were soft and caring.
The dark-haired woman smiled. "Yeah ... I’m beginning to like this vacation idea of yours more and more." She covered the bard’s hand with her own. "Thanks," she said sincerely.
The little blonde smiled. After a moment, she tilted her head slightly. "Now, can we just forget about this revenge nonsense?"
Xena’s smile grew wider as she patted the small hand in hers "Oh, I already have," she said, then stood up stiffly, putting a tentative hand to her injured back. "Now that you mention it," she said, grimacing slightly, "a long, hot bath is sounding better and better. What room are we in?"
The bard told her and the warrior moved slowly toward the stairs. She’d taken only a few steps when she stopped and exhaled exasperatedly. "Damn," she said under her breath and turned tiredly towards the front door.
The bard’s voice stopped her. "No, no, no," the girl said around a mouthful of bread. "You go ahead. When I’m finished here, I’ll bring our stuff up."
Xena sent a grateful look to her friend, then turned and disappeared up the stairs, her hand still supporting her sore back.
Gabrielle emptied the bowl in front of her, drained her mug, stood up and moved toward the front door. When she reached the entrance, the girl turned quickly and hurried back to the table just as the innkeeper’s wife had arrived to clear it.
When the woman lifted the tray stacked with utensils, mugs and a plate of uneaten rolls, the bard snatched up the bread with both hands, smiled brightly at the woman and said, "These are really good." Then she turned and walked quickly out the door.
The innkeeper’s wife watched, bemused, as the door closed slowly behind the bard. "Thank you," she said quietly and turned towards the kitchen, slowly shaking her head.
A little later, the warrior met an extremely happy bard, her cheeks bulging with muffin, in the hallway outside their room. Xena stopped and watched as the bard nodded and walked right past. She shook her head and continued on her way.
"Hey, wait a minute. Where’re you going?" the dark-haired woman heard from behind her. She turned to answer the question, then tightened her focus on the bard’s face. As she approached the girl, hand outstretched, Gabrielle rapidly back-peddled and said, "Oh, no you don’t ... what?"
Xena stopped, turning her palms outward, and trained a barely tolerant look at her friend. "I’m just going to get Argo settled. I’ll be right back." She turned again and walked away. As the warrior disappeared around the corner, the bard heard her friend’s commander voice: "Wash your face!"
Gabrielle pulled the back of one hand across her mouth, then turned to walk into the room. Suddenly, she stopped and jumped back, peering suspiciously at the partially open door, then muttered under her breath, "Nice try, Xena, but it didn’t work."
The girl took a step back and, delivering a kick the warrior would have applauded, propelled the door open with such force that it slammed into the wall behind it.
"Hey!" came a disembodied voice from a neighboring room. "Keep it down, will you?"
Tentatively, Gabrielle entered the room, glancing up cautiously to inspect the area above the entrance. Finding nothing unusual, she deposited the saddlebags next to one of the beds, propped her staff in a corner and turned to close the door.
It was then her eyes fell upon the two empty buckets standing next to the steaming bathtub. She walked to the doorway and peeked down the hall, turning first in one direction, then the other, and gently, quietly closed the door.
Later that morning, Xena sat cross-legged on her bed combing through her long, wet hair. The warrior wore a clean, white shift and relaxed easily, one of the soft, full pillows tucked behind her. She turned to see the bard enjoying the hot water in the tub and her face lit in a subtle grin.
"A vacation ... what a good idea," the bard purred lazily, sinking lower into the steaming water. "We should do this more often." The girl closed her eyes and laid her head against the edge of the tub.
The warrior slid carefully off the pallet and padded toward the saddlebags hanging at the end of Gabrielle’s bed. She pulled out an apple and an orange, turned back to the girl in the tub, then stepped towards the bard, the apple in her outstretched hand. Just as Xena was about to offer the fruit to her friend, Gabrielle’s eyes drifted open.
In an instant, the bard quickly reached down beside the tub and grabbed her staff. She stood up abruptly, weapon poised and ready, splashing water over the floor and dousing the warrior’s bare feet.
"Don’t even think about it!" the little bard growled, taking her best defense stance.
Xena halted, looked down at her wet feet, then looked back up at the bard. She gazed calmly at the apple and said, "Ooookay, I guess this means you’d rather have the orange." She pulled the apple back and held out her other hand.
Chagrined, Gabrielle looked at the orange in Xena’s hand. She blinked several times, then swallowed hard. "Oh ... yes, please," she said softly, lowering her staff and accepting the orange.
The warrior’s subtle frown was not unnoticed by the bard. "What?" she asked nervously, looking at the orange in her hand.
Xena slowly chewed a bite of the apple, her eyes traveling over the bard’s dripping form. "Aren’t you cold, standing there all wet?" she asked casually, turning calmly to walk back to her bed.
As the bard slowly sank down into the water, she positioned her staff across the tub’s circular edge, then began to pull back the peel on the orange. The warrior’s rhythmic crunching accompanied the gentle splashing in the tub.
When the bard had a handful of orange peel, she turned toward the open window and tossed the rind through the opening. She returned her attention to her task, unaware that the warrior had finished her apple and was aiming the core towards the same opening.
Without pausing, Xena tossed the apple core at the window, but, due to the slight stiffness still present in her back, the core bounced off the sill and traveled unchecked into one of the bard’s leather boots.
"Oh, dammit," the warrior muttered, starting to get off the bed.
"What?" Gabrielle asked, seeing the discomfort on her friend’s face.
"I missed the window."
"Stay put," the bard instructed. "I’ll get it when I get out of the tub."
"Thanks," the warrior said, replacing the pillow behind her. She pulled the light coverlet over her torso, closed her eyes and relaxed.
When Gabrielle had licked the last of the juice from her fingers, she rinsed her hands in the water, stepped out of the tub, dried herself off and began to dress. She sat down on her bed to put on her boots, pulling the left one on first. When she pushed her right foot into the remaining boot, her toes came into contact with the errant apple core tossed by the warrior.
The girl’s eyes widened in fright. She screamed loudly, jumped up and threw the boot out the open window. The warrior sat bolt upright, grabbing her back in pain, and turned sharply to the girl. "Oh, OW! Dammit! What?!"
The bard spun around and, fists on her hips, glared angrily at her startled friend. "Don’t you oh-ow-dammit-what me!" she yelled accusingly. "What did you put in my boot?!"
"It was the—" the warrior began.
"Honestly!" the bard sputtered. "You have conquered nations! You’ve led armies! And now you’ve succumbed to this childish, infantile need for revenge!"
The little blonde stomped about the room, her only boot striking an odd syncopation on the wooden floor.
"Gabrielle—" Xena tried again, her blue eyes following the furious little bard.
"Well, it won’t work. You may have many skills, but so do I and you have met your match on this one, lady!" The bard marched back toward the warrior to stand defiantly at the side of the bed.
"Lady?" the warrior echoed, her eyes wide in surprise.
"You heard me!"
"Gabrielle!" Xena said firmly, sitting up a bit straighter. "It was the apple core. Remember? I told you about it not five minutes ago."
The bard’s stance slowly changed as a deep, clear, crimson blush rose steadily to cover her face. "Oh," the girl whispered in a very tiny voice. "The apple core."
The little blonde looked down at the single boot she wore, then walked slowly toward the open window. She leaned out to try to locate her missing boot, then grimaced when she saw the innkeeper below the window, holding her boot and rubbing his head.
"You okay?" she shouted down at him as he turned an irritated glower her way. "Sorry about that." She sent him her best smile. "I’ll be right down to get ... it."
Gabrielle turned and walked towards the door, her eyes avoiding the warrior’s. As she crossed the room, Xena heard the whispered comment, "Boy, I’ll bet that smarted."
The dark-haired woman waited until the door closed behind the departing bard before giving free rein to the giant laugh bubbling within her. As the latch closed, the warrior fell back against the pillow, laughing openly, one hand again clutching her aching back.
Downstairs in the tavern, the bard was met by the innkeeper, who returned the girl’s airborne boot to her. She sat down on one of the empty benches and pulled it on, smiling widely as the bewildered man, with his wife at his side, watched.
Now wearing both boots, the little blonde stood and decided some sort of explanation for her unusual behavior might be in order. Adopting her best bard’s tone, she turned to the couple, laughing softly as she began her story.
"You’re probably wondering why I threw my boot out the window," she said, chuckling openly to coax her audience to do the same. "It’s really a very funny story. You’re going to get a kick out of this. You see, my friend...." she began, then stopped and cleared her throat nervously. "Well, we’ve had some very unusual...." She stopped again.
The girl studied the less than appreciative looks she was receiving from the man and his wife, then decided against continuing with what would be, at best, a wildly fantastic tale.
"Never mind," she said, her smile fading slowly, but surely. "I guess you had to be there. But thanks for bringing in my boot," she added sheepishly and left the tavern, her head held high.
When she returned to the room, she found the warrior asleep, one long arm supporting her head, her face peacefully at rest. The bard crossed the room quietly and stretched out on her back on the other pallet, her hands clasped behind her head. She stared up at the ceiling, her senses alert, her mind rattled with nervous anticipation.
The little blonde smiled, a sense of pride calming her slightly. ‘I’m still okay,’ she thought proudly. ‘So far I’ve beaten her at her own game. If I just stay alert until morning, maybe she’ll forget about the whole thing.’
The girl glanced quickly at her sleeping companion, then stared at the ceiling again. She let out a little sigh and felt her body relax a bit.
The warrior’s eyes drifted open slowly and her focus darted quickly to the girl on the other bed. A tiny smile graced her lips as her eyes closed again.
An hour later, as the two were finishing lunch, the warrior wiped her hands on her napkin and leaned forward. "My back feels alot better," she told the girl. "I’m going to go check on Argo. Why don’t you go take your nap and I’ll be back in a little while."
Xena stood and gathered the soft, woolen robe that had been provided with the bathtub, turned and strode out the door towards the stable.
Gabrielle finished her stew, drained the mug of water and stood. As she started toward the stairs, wondrous thoughts of her upcoming nap filling her mind, her stomach gently nudged at her. She retraced her steps back to find the innkeeper’s wife clearing their table.
As the woman stacked the various containers and utensils on her tray, she looked up and recognized Gabrielle. Her eyes returned to the table and the remaining muffin. Wordlessly, she picked up the plate and held it out to the little blonde, who smiled, took the solitary roll and said, "They really are very good." Then the girl turned and walked toward the stairs as the woman watched.
Gabrielle walked up the stairs in a dreamy trance. When she reached their door, she opened it, crossed the room and sat on her bed. Placing the muffin on the coverlet next to her, she leaned forward to unlace her boots. As her weight shifted, the muffin rolled slowly towards her, coming to rest lightly against her hip.
When she felt the gentle thump, the bard flew off the bed, her feet not touching the floor until they came to rest next to the other pallet. She stared breathlessly as the muffin continued to roll across the covers and finally dropped off onto the floor. Her heart pounded wildly as she envisioned the hungry creature she was sure the warrior had released under the coverlet.
The girl grabbed her staff from the corner where she’d stashed it and leveled a mighty blow dead center across the bed. She raised the staff again and began pounding the covers madly, her battle yell punctuating the strikes. After a few tempestuous moments, she granted the bed a reprieve and stepped back, wild-eyed and breathless, to glare at the now tangled covers.
With one end of her staff, the bard poked hard at the pallet, then mightily jerked the bedding away from the mattress, causing it to float out like a ship’s sail and come to rest on top of the girl, nearly covering her. She fought madly at the attacking linens.
When she heard a noise behind her, the bard turned sharply, staff raised, to the doorway where the innkeeper’s wife stood, one ample arm clutching a bundle of towels. The woman glanced nervously around the room, studied the naked bed for a few moments, then stared, openly astonished, at the young blonde swaddled almost completely in the bed clothes, hair standing on end, weapon ready, in the center of the room.
"Is ... everything alright in here, miss?" she asked tentatively, her hand still holding the latch nervously, the desire for a quick escape obvious in her manner.
Gabrielle relaxed her battle stance, pulled at the linens and turned a tightly strung expression towards the woman. "Of course!" she said sharply. "Why do you ask?!"
At that moment, the bard’s eyes came to rest on the warrior’s calm expression now visible over the older woman’s shoulder. Xena carefully moved past the innkeeper’s wife, placing a solicitous hand on the woman’s arm, and advanced slowly towards her wild-eyed friend.
"Good, Gabrielle," the warrior crooned, gently taking the staff. "Baaad bed!" she said, frowning accusingly at the pallet. She cast a brief, pleading look at the woman in the doorway, cocking her head toward the offensive furniture.
"Bad ... bed," the woman said quietly, then quickly pulled the door closed.
Xena replaced the staff in the corner, then helped the bard extract herself from the bed clothes. Clamping her teeth tightly together to ward off her impending laughter, the warrior remade the bed, then turned quietly to her friend, who was still twitching, fists clenched and eyes wide. With a calming arm around the girl’s shoulders, she guided the little form toward the bed.
"It’s okay," the tall warrior said softly. "Take your nap. You’ll feel better after you rest."
She helped the quivering bard sit on the pallet, then swung the girl’s boots up onto the sheets. She gently pushed the little blonde’s shoulders down onto the mattress and pulled the coverlet over the rigid body, brushing damp bangs from the feverish forehead.
"I just came back to get a dinar," she said evenly as she searched the bard’s satchel. "The stable boy said he’d give Argo a good rubdown for that." She removed the coin and started toward the door.
The bard sat up abruptly, arms straight at her sides, her eyes startled and glaring. "Now what are you going to do?" she barked stiffly.
Xena returned to the bed and again pushed her friend back down. "I’ll be right back. You rest now," she crooned, patting the girl’s head. Then she turned and left the room.
Once in the hall, the warrior quietly pulled the door closed, then placed her ear against it. When she heard the mumbled ranting inside the room, she clamped a hand over her mouth and made her way down the hall as fast as her tender back would allow.
She got as far as the end of the hallway before laughter exploded between her fingers. She lowered her hand, collapsed against the wall and slid down the surface to sit gingerly on the top step. Holding first her stomach, then her back, the warrior rocked back and forth, succumbing to the roaring hilarity that enveloped her senses.
When she had recovered a particle of composure, she stood again and proceeded down the stairs into the tavern. Her eyes fell upon the face of the innkeeper’s wife, who was involved in an animated discussion with her husband, obviously describing the recent events upstairs.
The matron caught the warrior’s eye and Xena smothered her wide smile to respond to the sympathetic look the woman sent her. Motioning wordlessly, the tall woman sent the matron a confident message. ‘Don’t worry,’ the warrior’s gestures said, ‘I took care of it. She’s calm now.’ She gave the woman an exaggerated wink and formed an ‘O’ with her thumb and forefinger, then calmly crossed the tavern and passed through the front door.
The innkeeper, his wife and all the patrons in the tavern responded with curiosity to the boisterous guffaw that floated back into the room as the door slowly closed behind the warrior.