Destiny’s Dominion

 

Chapter Three: My Kingdom for a Wagon
Gabrielle wasn't sure what hurt most: her head, her stomach or her ego! She'd never really cared for horses and her dislike of that particular mode of transportation had been reinforced by a long journey, face down, over an uncomfortable saddle. Her voluble complaints had got her nothing except a gag, and she was beginning to feel that someone, somewhere, really didn't like her.

The whole afternoon had been torturous. The motion of the horse was akin to that of a ship, making her uncomfortably queasy and forcing her to jab at the pressure point in her wrist to keep herself from throwing up, not an advisable action whilst wearing a gag. Laying across the thighs of a brawny young warrior was not exactly comfortable, either. Especially as his hands had wandered, in an exploratory fashion, over her thighs and just under her skirt, before he was roughly warned off by Mavrikios when the bard began to wriggle and curse through her gag.

"Keep your hands off her, Gregorias," the warlord warned menacingly. "The contract is to deliver her whole and unharmed."

"Aw, this won't harm her," grinned her guard, "She might even like it," he laughed.

Mavrikios gave him a cold glare, - That definitely was an imitation of one of Xena's, - the bard noted mentally, - Wonder if he studied her, or if there's a warlord's handbook out there that they learn from. Hey! - she suddenly, irreverently, thought, - I bet there's a warlord school, and I just know who came top of her class when she graduated! - She allowed herself a grin while she listened to Mavrikios as he dressed Gregorias down.

"It might not harm her," snarled the warlord in a deadly tone, "but I guarantee that you won't enjoy it when I have you castrated with a very dull knife! So keep your hands to yourself." He jerked his horses head away as he moved back to the head of the column.

The warning had done it's job, so at least she didn't have to be worried about being assaulted as they travelled, and Mavrikios had pretty much made it clear that she wasn't to be touched by anyone, so her worrying visions of being raped were also allayed ... at least for a while. The rest of the afternoon was eaten up by continuous motion as they moved forward to the planned camp site for that evening.

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Things had not noticeably improved with the evening stop. True, she had a place by the fire, but she resented the leg iron that secured her to a stake like some kind of sacrificial lamb. It was also true that she had been given food .. if that's what it could be loosely called .. and water, stale and leathery from a skin, but now she had another problem.

She looked around the crowded campsite and quickly spotted the area that she wanted to visit. Without thinking she started to head towards it, only to stumble when the chain brought her up short, "Oh gods," she swore softly. She bit her lip and tugged tentatively on the chain as her need began to become desperate.

"Going somewhere?" demanded Mavrikios, suddenly appearing at her shoulder.

Gabrielle gave him a level look, and moved uneasily from one foot to another a pained look of worry entering her eye, before saying, "Um, I know that in your own unique way you're trying to look after my safety," she told him with sweet sarcasm as she rattled her manacled wrists at him, "and I know that you've made every effort to see that I don't exhaust myself on this journey," she looked meaningfully at the horses, "but I think you've overlooked something."

"Oh yeah! What could that be?" he retorted, ignorantly secure in the knowledge that he was sure he'd thought of everything.

"I need to use the bathroom," she told him simply. She wasn't totally sure, but she thought she detected a slight reddening around his neck.

"Ah ... right," he conceded with embarrassment, "Metracles!" he snapped out, and one of the older warriors moved promptly to hear what his commander wanted. The man's face was scarred and he limped from what was probably an old wound, but he looked strong and as if he knew how to handle himself, "Take our 'guest' over to the bushes, will you." He handed Metracles the key to the leg iron and continued, "Give her some privacy, but don't lose her." he warned.

- Better than nothing - thought the bard as she practically dragged the mercenary in the desired direction and flew into the bushes embracing the ecstasy of relief.

Metracles stood screened on the other side of the greenery, whistling tunelessly as he stood holding the leg iron that insured the bard could not sneak off. It was taking Gabrielle some time and the warrior began to get impatient with his own needs, "You about done yet?" he demanded.

"With you in a moment," agreed Gabrielle, the glimmer of an idea beginning to take root in her fertile mind.

The guard urged her speedy return from the bushes, and as they returned to the fire, Gabrielle noted, with great interest, that a couple of scuffles had broken out around the camp and she saw more than a few uncleared plates from the evening meal. Metracles rechained her leg iron to the stake and made a quick dash to the bushes before he went back to the dice game he'd been involved with before being hauled out of it. Gabrielle sat with a thoughtful look on her face before deciding to act on the germinating seed that was beginning to grow.

Facing the group of warriors, who were relaxing on the opposite side of the fire from her, she proceeded to turn on all of her considerable charm and initiated the conversation by asking them,"Is the food normally this bad, or was it done specially for me?"

"T'weren't food. T'was but pig swill," one of them replied and many of the others joined in with half-hearted laughs or growling grumbles.

>From the unhappy replies she'd soon learned that the army's cook had been laid low with a fever some days back and the food had been appalling ever since as no one else had any idea how to boil water! Having tasted Xena's cooking, Gabrielle knew that warriors didn't spend much time learning how to prepare food, they relied on a cook for that. However, they were always ready to grumble when their meals were not up to standard, and the bard thought that she could see a way to exploit that.

Skilfully, she set about manipulating the conversation so that she could regale the warriors with the splendours of some of the feasts that she's seen and eaten, and eventually gave descriptions of some of the more humble fare that she had prepared for herself and Xena.

"At King Gregor's palace we had a wonderful feast to celebrate the announcement of his heir, Prince Gabriel, and in Troius, King Lias always served a wonderful delicacy called croesis. Xena just loved those, although to be fair, Xena really appreciates my cooking, in fact she's told me on numerous occasions that she wished she'd known me when her army was looking for a cook," that was a blatant lie, Xena would rather have been hung from a meat hook than even think of the bard as part of her army.

Mention of the Warrior Princess, however, tended to dampen the soldiers good spirits and put them on edge. Seeking away to continue the conversation and plant some more seeds for her plan, Gabrielle dropped the information that she was a bard into the chatter, in case they hadn't been aware. This brought an immediate demand for a story and she was happy to oblige them, launching into the tale of Hercules and his on going battle with Hera, strategically adding wonderful descriptions of glorious, mouth watering food, at every chance she got. The performance began to draw a larger audience and they clamoured for another story as soon as she finished her recital.

Smiling good naturedly, Gabrielle agreed, carefully avoiding full blown stories about her best friend, seeking to introduce her into the narrations once the audience was firmly hooked. Choosing artfully, she plunged into the story of Ulysses. "I sing the song of Ulysses, King of Ithaca, husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus. This great King was a mighty warrior, renowned for his bravery, wisdom and cunning," she began.

The gifted bard wove a tale of his feats: of his great sea adventures, when Aeolus, the Guardian of the Winds, gave him a bag that contained all the winds that might harm the king's ship, only his curious crew opened the bag releasing the winds and changed a prosperous voyage into a disaster. How the great Ulysses was reluctant to take part in the Trojan war and so tried to make his fellow kings believe he was mad, but was foiled by Palamedes who proved him sane. How the King of Ithaca proved his greatness in the Trojan war and was awarded the armour of Achilles when that great hero was slain. How it was the trickster king's idea to use a hollow horse to gain entrance to the city of Troy, and for the Greeks at last to win the long war.

>From there, Gabrielle told how he had fallen foul of Poseidon's wrath as he tried to travel back to his kingdom and, of course, his meeting with Xena and how she had helped to defeat Poseidon and return the King of Ithaca to his island home in time to rescue his wife, Penelope, from the piratical suitors who were attempting to lay claim to Ithaca at the Sea God's behest.

At the end of that story, the talented bard quickly launched into another Xena tale, telling of her near miraculous, single handed, defeat of the elite Persian scouts, that gave the Athenian army the time it needed to assemble and march to protect their land from the invaders. The bard kept a careful eye on her audience, gauging their reactions, which seemed to become increasingly those of very nervous men as she spun the heroic deeds of Xena into a tapestry of words that brought them to life. It was becoming increasingly plain that these warriors were not at all sure that they wanted to face an angry Warrior Princess!

She was half way through the story of Xena's titanic battle with Ares to prove to the Furies that the God of War was her father, when there was a stir in the crowd as Mavrikios pushed his way through them. "What are you sitting around here for?" he demanded, "You've all got things to attend to. Alexandros, you were supposed to relieve Thomases on guard half a candlemark ago!"

There were loud grumblings as the gathering broke up. The warriors had enjoyed a rare evening of entertainment, even if some of the tales did make them uneasy. Now with the stories finished, conversation naturally drifted back to food and some of the descriptions that Gabrielle had spun of wonderful offerings. The grumbling was loud and heartfelt.

Mavrikios scowled as his men dispersed, before turning to the bard and demanding, "What have you been saying to my men?"

Nothing much," she replied with a bright innocence that really made Mavrikios burn with suspicion, "I just told them a few stories to pass the time ... oh yes, and we talked about the food. What we've just had really wasn't very good you know, and I think your men expect better."

"Have you been stirring up trouble with them," quizzed Mavrikios, who was well aware of the men's feeling about the quality of the meals currently being served, and was distinctly defensive about it, "because if you have, I can always have you permanently gagged!"

"Look, all I did was tell a few stories and compare notes with them about some of the meals we've eaten. It's not my fault if your cook's a professional poisoner!"

"You think you could do better?" he demanded in frustration.

"Without a doubt," grinned the bard, "Even Xena could, and she hates cooking." It was pushing it, but unless Mavrikios had ever tried any of the Warrior Princess's culinary delights he wouldn't know how far she was stretching the truth with that statement.

Mavrikios threw his hands into the air in frustration, "The army's cook is down with a fever and no one else here can cook worth a damn, so get used to it." He glared around the camp at his men, who instantly found other things to occupy their attention.

"You know, unless the food improves, you're going to have a mutiny," Gabrielle pointed out.

"Are you looking for the job?" he asked in disbelief, before his eyes narrowed and he asked her pointedly, "I'd have thought you'd have been cheering my men on to desert. It would give Xena a better chance of rescuing you."

"I like to watch a good fight," she told him seriously. "The odds are about fair right now, Xena doesn't like things too easy. "No, I'm far more concerned with surviving to be rescued and, quite honestly, that looks pretty touch and go at the moment with what I'm being given to eat. Besides, I'm a pretty mean hand with a stew."

"By the gods you're irritating," he snarled at her, "Don't you ever stop talking?' he demanded, frustration evident in his tone.

"Oh I have been known to be quiet on occasion .. particularly after a good filling meal," she stressed pointedly.

"You're up to something," the mercenary leader's mind was working overtime on what the girl could be trying to achieve and suspicion was second nature to his devious mind.

"Of course I am!" agreed Gabrielle wholeheartedly, taking him by surprise.

"I knew it!" snapped Mavrikios triumphantly, although he was far from sure what it was that he was claiming to know. "Just what were you hoping to achieve .. were you spreading dissent? Trying to get the men to mutiny?"

The bard grinned at him, "Something far more satisfying than that," she informed him pleasantly, "Wanna know what?"

The warrior glared at her with frustration, "Alright!" he yelled, drawing the attention of his men, who quickly found something else to occupy them when their leaders angry eyes swept over them.

"The chance to eat a decent meal while I'm stuck here," the bard told him lightly with a teasing smile on her face.

He fixed her with an infuriated stare, "You're offering to cook for us?" he questioned uncertainly.

"That's what I said," agreed the blonde seriously.

"You're willing to cook for the men that are holding you captive?" he persisted.

"Yup. You got it Socrates," she affirmed.

"You want to cook and clean ..."

"Hey! I never said anything about doing the dishes," she broke in firmly.

He ignored her continuing, "... for the men who are taking you to Caesar?"

"Let's just get the terms right here, buddy! I'll cook, but I won't wash! Got it?" she insisted, but Mavrikios was still trying to get his brain around the weird phenomenon of a captive doing the cooking chores willingly.

"You're gonna do the cooking ..."

"Cooking only bub!" she reminded him.

"Okay, okay," he growled, "but you'd do the cooking even though we're going to catch Xena and take her and you to Caesar?"

"That's about the long and short of it," agreed Gabrielle. "Call it self preservation, because as sure as Xena's gonna whip your sorry butt, none of us will survive that long if we keep eating the slops being served up to us right now ... so what bit are you unclear on? Sheesh, doesn't anyone learn good Greek nowadays?"

"Fine," snarled the warlord, ready to take a chance on the bard's cookery, knowing he couldn't stomach much more of the muck they were currently forced to digest.

"One more thing, though," ventured Gabrielle as Mavrikios turned to leave.

"What!" he almost shouted in exasperation.

"It's only fair," began the bard, "that if I'm doing the cooking, I should get to ride in the cook wagon. If I spend a day thrown over a horse's back, I'm not going to be in any condition to cook a meal for your army, now am I?" she told him reasonably.

Mavrikios stood stock still, a look of doubt creeping across his face. He liked the idea of his valuable prisoner being very firmly under the eye of a guard at all times. However, he was a practical man and he knew that something had to be done about the food situation ... and soon. He looked at Gabrielle dubiously. He had the definite feeling of being manipulated into something and he was sure he was not going to like the end results of it. Yet he could see no way that the girl would be able to escape from the cook wagon, especially if he set guards around it and used the leg iron to anchor her firmly in place.

"C'mon, Mavrikios," encouraged the bard, "You know it's a good deal."

He had a really uneasy feeling about all of this, but he just couldn't put his finger on why. Maybe it was just nerves about Xena; where she was and what she was up to. The Warrior Princess was enough to rattle anyone's nerves and, although he didn't show it, Mavrikios was more than a little intimidated by his ex-commander. He'd been a lowly, junior, lieutenant before striking off on his own, and he really doubted that the ruthless, vicious, warlord he had known could be so easily buried and reincarnated as the Warrior Princess of the current stories. Too much prodding, and he was certain that the dark, driven Xena of old would re-emerge. He prayed to the gods that he wasn't going to be the one on the receiving end of that. It was a prospect that did not fill him with joy. But, money was money, and if he could just manage to keep things together, the rewards would be well worth a few sleepless nights.

"Fine," he agreed at last, "Tomorrow you travel in the wagon, and get to cook the evening meal. You better make sure it's a good one after your boasting, because the men won't be too happy if it's not." he warned her.

"Great," enthused Gabrielle before a sour look crossed her face, "No washing dishes though," she insisted.

"Yeah, yeah!" agreed the warlord.

"Oh, I'll make sure it's the most memorable meal they've eaten," she grinned at the suspicious look he gave her. "At least since your regular cook got taken ill," she clarified with a twinkle glittering in her eyes.

Mavrikios stamped off to his tent, waving frustrated hands in the air, even more uneasy about this deal and unable to put his finger on just exactly why. As the warlord disappeared into his tent, Gabrielle pumped her fist in the air, gave a little jig and hissed, "YES!", before realising that it wasn't probably a good idea to advertise her joy in such a public manner. She smirked to herself before stretching out by the fire for the night.

 

Chapter Four: Hot Pursuit
They had been pressed hard. No matter how they had tried to shake off the hunters, Xena and Patroclese found that they were driven relentlessly for the rest of the day. They switched direction, doubled back, laid false trails and tried to use streams to confuse their pursuers, all of which took time and was allowing Mavrikios to get further ahead of them.

Not for the first time, Xena wondered if all the warriors she was encountering belonged to Mavrikios's band, or whether they were in the midst of a swarm of bounty hunters who happened to be in the right place at the wrong time. Towards evening, however, they did manage to break through a screening picket and were even able to pick up Mavrikios's trail before it got too dark to see.

Xena had concluded that it wasn't going to be safe to leave Patroclese anywhere in their present locality. So, much against her normal instincts, she had kept the healer with her. She did have to admit, even if only grudgingly to herself, that Patroclese was far from the liability that she thought he'd be. He had shown some skill with a short sword that he carried on his saddle, as well as his previously shown ability with a bow.

The physician was also proving useful with his healing skills. Her shoulder continued to pain her and had required re-bandaging twice as blood soaked through the cloth where the stitches pulled open. The Warrior Princess was feeling more than a little unsteady from loss of blood, but she was too stubborn to give into the pain from the chipped bone, and the wound, when she knew she had to get to Gabrielle. She was aware that a little rest would work wonders with her body's normally phenomenal healing capabilities, she just needed to get far enough ahead of the pursuit to make it safe for her to take that rest.

Patroclese' silent disapproval was almost thunderous. He'd urged Xena to rest several times, worried about the amount of blood loss she had taken. However, after a stop to change the bandage, and the third time he'd suggested they rest, she'd pinned him up against a tree with his feet four inches off of the ground and told him, "I'll leave you hanging from a branch the next time you mention it again." Patroclese had the scant satisfaction of seeing her stagger a little after she released him, but he'd learnt his lesson and now kept his mouth firmly shut. It didn't, however, stop him from 'voicing' his opinion with pointed looks.

By the tracks, it looked as if Mavrikios was heading for the port city of Acanthus where, no doubt, he intended to catch a ship headed in the direction of Rome. So despite Patroclese's concerns about her welfare, and the one's he'd expressed about losing the trail in the gathering darkness, Xena elected to press on. She had two distinct reasons for doing so. Firstly to keep ahead of the pursuit that dogged them, and secondly, to make up ground on those they were pursuing in turn.

Xena felt an urgency pressing her to catch up with those ahead of her. With all of the dodging and diving that they'd had to do during the day, they were way behind and the Warrior Princess knew that Mavrikios wouldn't be wasting any time. That and the fact that Acanthus was barely four days away from them.

It was late into the evening when exhaustion finally forced Xena to agree to a stop: not so much her own benifit, but for that of the horses. They made a cold camp and munched down some trail bread and cheese before catching a few candlemarks much needed sleep. They were back into their saddles well before sunrise heading south, and trusting to the gods, and Xena's abilities, to be able to pick up Mavrikios's trail.

The short stop had worked wonders for Xena's fitness. Her shoulder was still painful, but the bleeding had stopped and the wound looked clean when Patroclese had redressed it. More importantly, the weakness she had been experiencing due to the loss of blood had vanished. All in all, the healer felt in far worse shape, than his patient seemed to be.

At first light, Xena took time to cast back and forth across the likely area looking for the signs that would tell them they were still on the right trail. It took her about a candlemark, but she found what she was looking for and she informed Patroclese that, not only were they following the correct path, but that they were actually less than a day behind those she sought.

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Gabrielle had spent an uncomfortable day chained in the back of the cook wagon. The wagon had no springs and jolted alarmingly over every minor bump in the road. She felt bruised and sore, but the fact that it was a far better way to travel then the previous day's mode of transport was not lost on her. Neither was the chance to explore the wagon's contents under the guise of working out the evening's menu.

She had hoped that Xena would catch up with them before they stopped for the evening, that had been plan 'Alpha'. Plan 'Beta' was a little more exotic and relied totally on her own skills - Although - she thought to herself - it would be useful if Xena happened to turn up at the right time to help -.

A well seasoned stew was the dish of the day, as she had promised Mavrikios. Her inspection of the wagon's stores had provided her with a variety of vegetables, salt pork, spices and the relevant cookware ... and one other very important ingredient that was vital to her planning.

Munching gleefully on trail bread and cheese as she diced vegetables and cut up meat, Gabrielle carefully thought through the actions she would need to take to effect her escape, and thought about Xena's surprise when she managed to find her. - It's going to make a change for Xena not to have to rescue me, - she decided - and it might make her realise that I'm not as helpless as she sometimes thinks! -

The evening meal was greatly appreciated by the men and the bard was repeatedly congratulated upon producing the first decent food that they'd had in seven days. She accepted the compliments and had even told a few more stories while they were eating. She'd prepared plenty of the stew, knowing the warriors were likely going to be very hungry, so there was more than enough for those men who returned for second helpings. She even got a grudging compliment from Mavrikios. Gabrielle smiled to herself, certain that her plan was going to work.

Some two to three candlemarks after the meal was finished and the plates cleared away, the first stirrings of the bards stratagem began to emerge. Men began to make their way into the brush with increasing regularity, many failed to re-emerge, all victims of a violent gripping of the bowels. Groans echoed around the camp, with no one being immune. When she judged it appropriate, the bard loudly demanded her need for the 'bathroom'.

Mavrikios, no less effected than his men, turned an accusing finger at her and snarled, "You've poisoned me and my men!"

Gabrielle, effectively feigning the symptoms of the malady assailing every man in the camp, retorted, "It's not my fault if you've brought rotten rations!" then she added, "And I'm hardly likely to poison myself, am I? It's far more likely, anyway, that this was due to last night's so called meal!"

Mavrikios found it very difficult to dispute that argument, especially as he'd seen the bard dish herself up a healthy portion of the stew and sit and eat it. However, he was unaware of the rather clever sleight of hand the blonde had used to get rid of the food, learnt after she first encountered Xena's cooking and had found herself in need of getting rid of it without hurrting her friend's feelings.

"I need to go now!" Gabrielle told him bluntly, clutching her stomach and doubling herself over.

Mavrikios, struggling with his own problems, threw the leg iron key to one of his men and ordered him to escort the bard to the bushes. The warrior exhibited a thin sheen of perspiration on his brow and had the look of uncertain control in his eyes, that was testament to her unusual culinary skills.

Once safely screened in the bushes, Gabrielle hunkered down and waited. After close to five minutes in sheer agony, the warrior could remain in position no longer. He abandoned his end of the leg iron and his post, in the certain knowledge that the prisoner would not be in any condition to go anywhere in the immediate future, and dived into a bush of his own.

As soon as Gabrielle saw the guard run for the bushes, she gathered in the free chain and set off into the surrounding woods as quickly and quietly as she could. She was certain that Mavrikios and his men wouldn't be in any condition to mount a search for her until at least morning, so she wanted to put as much distance between herself and them as possible. With luck, she might even stumble across Xena.

The further away from the camp she got, the quicker and less furtive were her movements. She was quite happy to sacrifice stealth for speed, besides which, the chains she was still wearing made silent movement all but impossible. Still, she felt that she was making reasonable progress and she endeavoured to employ much of the knowledge that Xena had instilled into her to keep herself on a straight heading back towards where she hoped to find the warrior.

She was stumbling along a fairly deep gully, when she thought she heard a noise that was alien to the environment. Freezing into a motionless crouch, she tried to attune her hearing to the sounds of the forest around her. - I wish I had a tenth of Xena's senses, - she thought for about the millionth time - She'd know what was out there by now ... and where it is. -

Now, hearing nothing but the sounds of a forest shrouded in night, Gabrielle finally decided to take a look over the gully edge. Moving as slowly and quietly as she was able, she inched her way up to the rim to find herself confronted by a pair of boots and the point of a sword that hovered mesmerizingly close to her nose.

Swallowing hard, she followed the sword upwards, until she saw a blonde haired young man with bright blue eyes looking down at her, "Um ...," she began thinking fast, "You're probably wondering what I'm doing running around in a forest, in the middle of the night, in these," she said rattling the chains she was wearing.

The man made no answer, nor did the point of the sword waver. She was about to try another tack when a familiar voice spoke from behind her saying, "Don't sweat it Gabrielle. He's with me." and she nearly collapsed in relief as Xena jumped into the gully to give the bard a quick hug and a check over to make sure she was unharmed.

"Are you all right?" demanded the blonde remembering the arrow wound that Mavrikios had told her Xena had taken.

"I'm fine," responded the Warrior Princess, "My friend over there," she said nodding towards Patroclese, "took care of it." Xena's eyes took in the manacles and the leg irons and quipped, "Who did they think you were? Cerberus, or something?"

Gabrielle's quickly stifled giggle held more than a hint of relief in it, showing her pleasure in being back in friendly company, "I think Mavrikios was trying to discourage me from escaping," she replied.

"I think he blew that one, " the Warrior Princess returned with a totally straight face and a very dry tone. She quickly inspected the shackles before drawing her sword. Gabrielle had no time to think or protest before Xena sheered through the leg iron with one, precise, clean blow. Checking around for something she could use as an anvil, Xena spotted a large rock a few steps away, and pulled the bard after her as she headed for it, "Stretch your hands apart over that rock, " she instructed.

"Now, Xena," Gabrielle began hesitantly as she complied with the order, "remember I need my hands and any attached fingers for writing and ... and ..." she screwed her eyes tightly closed as two quick blows from her friend's sword sliced through the metal cuffs without leaving a scratch on the bard's flesh.

"Wow! that was amazing," spoke Patroclese for the first time in Gabrielle's presence. "Hi, by the way. My name's Patroclese, and you must be Gabrielle."

The bard seemed a little distracted as she replied, "Um, hi," the healer noted that she seemed to be counting her fingers.

"Come on Gabrielle," pressed Xena, springing up out of the gully in an easy bound, "We've got to get moving before Mavrikios catches up to you," she said as she reached down a hand to haul the blonde up beside her with astonishing ease.

Gabrielle blinked a few times, refocused her eyes and then responded, "Oh, don't worry about that. He's going to be a bit busy for a while."

Xena looked at her suspiciously, "Just how did you manage to get away from Mavrikios?" she questioned, "He's not an easy man to best."

"Why, Xena," the bard replied in a supercilious tone, "You're not the only one who can make and act on plans. We don't all need to use brawn when brains will get you the result."

Xena quirked an eyebrow at her and drawled lazily in a no nonsense way, "Gabrielle!"

The bard laughed her light, clear, innocent peel that nearly always made Xena feel better for hearing it, "Oh, Xena, it was so easy!" she giggled, "The food was so terrible in the camp, and the men were near mutiny over it, so I talked Mavrikios into letting me cook supper this evening."

"And?" pressed the Warrior Princess.

"And," grinned Gabrielle with childlike mischief twinkling in her eyes, "the stew I cooked for supper somehow came into contact with quite a large dose of cascara. The last I saw of Mavrikios and his men, they were all prospecting suitable spaces amongst rows of overcrowded bushes."

"That was brilliant!" exclaimed Patroclese impressed by the girls ingenuity. "True genius."

"Of course, I knew that Xena would be out here somewhere," continued Gabrielle smugly, "so it was just a case of keeping going until she found me."

Xena gave her a hard, yet somehow worried look, "Yeah, well, with the amount of warriors around after that bounty, you're just lucky you didn't stumble into them."

"You're kidding, right?" stated Gabrielle, with a half smile.

"No, Gabrielle," Xena told her as she gave a sharp whistle for Argo, "As a matter of fact I'm not."

"But ... but, that's not possible!" declared the bard. "Mavrikios told me that he wasn't going to lose men chasing after you. He knew you'd try and get me back, and even if you didn't he'd get a good price from Caesar for me." She saw the 'look' appear on Xena's face and quietly mouthed, "Oops!"

"Uh huh," grunted the Warrior Princess, as she stepped lightly into Argo's saddle and reached down to pull the bard up behind her, "Well that settles one thing," she said with a note of finality.

"Now, Xena," began Gabrielle adopting a stubborn tone as she settled herself behind her friend.

"No, Gabrielle," the warrior cut her off, "It's getting way too dangerous. You can visit with the Amazons for a moon or two, while I draw the hunters away from here." She waited until she saw Patroclese into his own saddle then started the horse moving.

The bard wasn't going to give in easily, "But, Xena!" she began to protest.

"No buts, Gabrielle," replied the warrior with an unshakable firmness that the blonde recognised as immovable, "I'm gonna have to do an awful lot of quick travelling and hard work to quieten this down. One or two people might need to be taught a lesson, and I won't be able to concentrate on things if I'm worried about you."

"Not Caesar," the bard put in quickly worried that the raven haired woman would seek to end matters with the Roman, risking her life in the process.

"No, not Caesar," agreed Xena, regret evident in her voice.

"Xena, I can help you. You know I'm not a little girl anymore,' she pressed valiantly, but knew that her friend's mind was made up on the point.

"No Gabrielle. In this situation I'm safer if I just have myself to worry about," she could feel the hurt in the blonde's eyes, even if she couldn't see it, "Besides, you're the Amazon Queen. You should spend some time with them now and again," she said softly. Then, laying a hand on the bards leg she added in a quiet voice, "Please, Gabrielle, do this for me."

"Hera's teeth," swore the bard with deep feeling, "I hate it when you resort to dirty tricks!" If Xena had tried to bully her into staying with the Amazon's she would never have agreed to it, but by simply asking .. something Xena rarely did .. Gabrielle felt, morally, that she couldn't refuse her friend.

Xena smiled into the darkness, unseen by either the bard or the healer, "We've got quite a way to go, and I wanna keep well ahead of the pursuit." She looked over to where Patroclese rode beside them, "I've also got to find somewhere safe to leave the healer. He's been helpful and it wouldn't be fair to leave him some place where some toughs can rough him up."

Patroclese spoke up for himself, "I'm capable of looking after myself," he told her indignantly.

"I know you are," assured the Warrior Princess.

"But," continued the healer, "If it's all right with you, I'd like to take the trip to the Amazon's with you. It'll probably be my only chance to get to see them."

Gabrielle was certain that Xena was going to say no to the young man, but she felt that Patroclese deserved something for helping her friend, so she chirped in quickly, "Of course you can come. It'll make a change to have someone to talk to while we travel. You've probably noticed that Xena, doesn't tend to say a lot." she said getting a dig in at her taciturn friend.

Patroclese, wisely forbore to make any comment, while Xena grunted non-committally as she concentrated on guiding them safely towards the path they wanted. Her mind was occupied elsewhere on how to draw off Mavrikios and all of the other hunters in the area. She was fairly certain she'd be able to accomplish it without too much difficulty, once she was unencumbered with worries for others. She should be able to leave the hunters sniffing aimlessly through eastern Greece, whilst she took a quick trip to Narbonensis. Nothing was going to cool off the ardour of the hunt faster than a cold trail.


On to Chapter 5 - 7


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