This story is categorized as fan fiction. The characters of Xena, Gabrielle, et al, which have appeared in the series Xena: Warrior Princess, belong to the producers, writers and executives of Renaissance Pictures and MCA/Universal Television. I claim only to have borrowed them, without intent to profit or infringe these rights, for the purpose of creating this story for enjoyment of the series' fans, of which I count myself one of many.
Additionally, the story below contains references, explicit and implied, of a sexual relationship between two consenting adults of the same sex. If you are not of legal age to read this story, or such material is illegal where you live, or you do not feel comfortable with such content, please refrain from reading this story.
Timeline Notes: After the episode "A Comedy of Eros"
PART TWO
Gabrielle studied the dancers and listened to the cadence of the music, trying to absorb the rhythm. She was a terrible dancer and she knew it, but it was important to the Amazons, particularly Ephiny, who Gabrielle liked to call a friend. So she'd find a way to learn the dance. She was good at absorbing details if she could watch what was going on.
Part of being a good storyteller, she acknowledged. But a good storyteller wasn't needed in sizing up laws, or revisions to the Amazons penal codes.
The thought made the bard glance over her left shoulder at Ephiny, who watched the dancers with studied concentration. Gabrielle hoped to find a way to live up to the responsibilities of the queen's mask the regent had convinced her to accept. She shifted in her chair and returned her gaze to the dancers.
"Enjoying the dancers, Gabrielle?" The curly-haired regent leaned close to her shoulder.
The young queen nodded. "What's next?"
"You could dance if you like. Or request archery or hand-to-hand displays," Ephiny remarked.
Gabrielle's stomach took that moment to growl and remind the young blonde she hadn't eaten since a bite of apple in the hut hours before.
Ephiny smiled, and Gabrielle felt Xena's hand on her right shoulder. "Or you could request that the meal be brought out," the regent amended.
"Yes. Please."
Ephiny rose and gestured for quiet. A hush fell over the assembly when drummers' hands stilled. The dancers slowly sank to relaxed crouches and awaited the regent's words.
"The queen has much enjoyed our display. You have certainly pleased Artemis. The huntresses have returned with the goddess' blessing. Let us bring forth the bounty and make our meal." Ephiny's full throated announcement was met with a round of cheering applause. She turned gesturing Gabrielle up.
As the bard rose slowly, she felt Xena's hand fall away from her back and experienced a twinge of uncertainty. She looked back over her right shoulder and up into the warrior's still face. Xena tilted her head briefly to the other side and Gabrielle turned back to the assembly.
"I really have enjoyed this. For all of you to welcome me... so warmly is... it makes me very happy." She smiled as the faces of the crowd began to single themselves out for her. She met Eponin's austere smile, then Solari, beside the Amazon captain, leaning on a tall drum. The pair smiled warmly back at their queen's notice. "Now, let's eat."
Laughter was the reply, and a scurry of women soon parted allowing the huge platters to be borne in to the center, and up to the dais, for her sampling.
When she was presented with the platter, Gabrielle started to reach for a biscuit-wrapped slice of sauced meat. Ephiny cleared her throat. The bard pulled her hand back and smiled quickly at the woman bearing the platter. "What?" she whispered to the regent.
"Offer thanks to Artemis."
"Isn't that the priestess' job?"
"No. The queen is the head priestess to Artemis. The women in the temple only --" Ephiny cut herself off realizing that everyone was waiting. "Just do it. Say something. I'll explain later."
Gabrielle nodded. Tentatively she opened her hands in the air over the array of food. "Artemis, goddess of both the Amazon and forest animal, you ... have provided well for both. We thank you."
That seemed to be acceptable as Ephiny nodded and the Amazons all stood at attention. Feeling distinctly uncomfortable, the bard turned away from the platter and announced, "Please eat and enjoy the rest of your night."
The formality of the evening was shattered in that short phrase. The women of the village broke their ranks and clustered around the other food trays being brought through the crowd.
Safely assuming she could now eat, Gabrielle snatched up the biscuit she'd started to take a moment earlier. Ephiny's own hand slipped over hers and snapped up another biscuit. "Thanks, Gabrielle."
The bard nibbled on the biscuit and then felt the close warmth as Xena came up on her right side and selected a corn cob from the platter. "Good?"
Mouth full, Gabrielle couldn't answer, but she stepped back, as Xena did, and settled on her chair. Ephiny left the dais to join the Amazons down in the throng, chattering and talking. The music had picked up in small groups again and they laughed, ate and sang.
The bard gestured toward Ephiny's now empty chair. "C'mon. Formalities are gone. Have a seat."
Xena nodded and moved around the bard to sit in the offered chair. "You did nicely."
"It... felt... well, odd."
"For you? You talk in public groups all the time."
Gabrielle shook her head. "Well, yes, but this was different. I don't know. I'm no priestess. What if instead of pleasing Artemis, my even pretending to this angered her?" The warrior met the bard's eyes but said nothing. "Xena?"
The warrior shrugged. "Can't help. Well, nothing beyond the myths and stories. You already know those."
Gabrielle nodded and finished her biscuit. "I have to get something to drink. Brave that crowd with me and find the punch?" She smiled at the warrior and put a hand on her arm near the elbow.
Nodding, Xena pulled the corn cob from her teeth and stood, offering Gabrielle a hand up.
"Queen Gabrielle?" A voice popped up behind the pair.
Gabrielle turned as they approached the small steps to see the woman who had spoken. She was willowy and looked rather young. Her brown shoulder-length hairpulled off her face in two braids woven with rank feathers. "Yes?"
"I'm one of your new guards, my queen. I earned the position in the last moon's competition."
"Congratulations. What is your name?"
Brown eyes sparkled with enjoyment. "Kieran. I'm born Amazon," she added proudly, puffing out her chest slightly.
"Amazons are many made one," Xena said quietly.
Kieran, who had been only studying Gabrielle, now looked up past the bard's shoulder. Xena noticed the slight lift of her lips, but then there was a pause as she wiped her face clear of emotion and responded, "Born Amazons know their roots."
Gabrielle nodded. "Of course they do." She stepped down one of the steps. "Kieran? Xena and I would like to find the drinks. Could you show us?"
Kieran returned her gaze to Gabrielle and nodded. "Certainly. Please come this way." She stepped back, gesturing for the queen to step down and precede her, then moved quickly into place behind the blonde. Xena fell into step behind Kieran's presented back.
Xena couldn't voice her thoughts, finding it disturbing she was even thinking the remarkably uncharitable words. She felt pinned down and the feeling bothered her intensely. She wanted suddenly to ... "Gabrielle."
She tried to hide her disturbed thoughts from the bard's curious green eyes. She didn't want to talk about this right now. Gabrielle apparently was just enough distracted for the warrior to carry it off. Mild query only was in the bard's voice when she responded. "Yes?"
"I'm going to talk to Solari." Xena accepted the bard's nod. "See you later."
"Be careful."
Gabrielle watched Xena walk away. Now why did I say that? We're among the Amazons, my people. What could happen here? But Xena had taught her to pay attention to her intuition. And in dealing with the warrior since their relationship had begun, Gabrielle had found that to be sound advice. So, what was worrying her? Kieran had stopped while Gabrielle and Xena conferred and now started walking again when the warrior walked away. "Kieran?"
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"If I have the answer, I swear I will tell you."
Gabrielle sighed. "Um. All right. Do you like being a queen's guard?"
"Certainly. To protect the queen for Artemis is a high honor. The highest. Every Amazon aspires to the formal post, though most take an informal protective position of both the queen and in turn the Nation."
"Why then do I get the distinct impression that the same is not to be said for the queen's friends?"
"Joxer is a man. Men are inferior friend or not."
Gabrielle frowned at the vehemence of Kieran's tone. "I disagree. However that was not who I was speaking of." She stepped up to the refreshment table and picked up a large mug. "I was speaking of..." She took a deep swallow of what she thought was cider. Coughing and sputtering she stared into the mug and realized she'd instead picked up a mug of sharp ale. She took a deep breath, and turned back to Kieran.
"Are you all right, my queen?"
Gabrielle's eyes watered but she nodded. "I'm fine. Back to what I was saying." Kieran waited quietly. The bard carefully searched for a cider and finally was successful with a mug toward the far side of the table. "Xena is my friend. My very closest friend. You have been unkind to her. I would ask you to stop."
"Xena is not Amazon."
Gabrielle shot back, "She has served this nation better than any Amazon."
Kieran raised her staff then recalled herself. "She is not Amazon."
Gabrielle tried a different tactic. "If I order you to be nice to her will you do it?"
"I must obey every order of my queen."
"And will you feel angry while doing it?"
Kieran squared her jaw and looked away.
"I asked you a question, Kieran."
"I will not like it."
"Why?"
"Xena is not worth my time to like or dislike."
"You certainly dislike her enough. Take the time to know her. I promise you will like her."
"Is that an order, my queen?"
The woman's posture was still defensive. "No. Please go away." Suddenly Gabrielle deperately wanted to go to a corner and think in the dark and quiet. Kieran, jaw squared, moved away into the crowd, leaving Gabrielle at the refreshments. Almost immediately a pair of Amazons, older than Kieran, took up positions near the young queen.
The bard noticed the activity out of the corner of her eye and shook her head. Not talking to either shadow, she simply moved away among the partying Amazons, nibbling a meat wrap and sipping her cider. Her escorts followed, but never came closer than several arm lengths away. What am I going to do? thought the bard. This is intolerable. She decided to seek out Ephiny and find out once and for all what in Artemis' name was going on.
Xena, meanwhile had found, not Solari, but Joxer, amid the crowd. She was tense, anxious, and aggravated. And she wanted to spar. While thinking about sparring with Solari had crossed her mind, she'd discarded the thought for the simple reason she was in a "real" fighting mood and didn't want to damage her tentative relationship with the Amazon military commander by striking too hard.
Joxer, on the other hand, would appreciate the harder exercise. She'd probably surprise him a bit, but hey, he asked for this training. "C'mon, Joxer. I wanna show you a few moves." She grabbed the warrior out of a small group of Amazons. "Excuse me, but he has a ... meeting." She pulled him free, listening in pained amusement as he made his stumbling excuses and the women -
- she recognized the healer, a middle-agedd woman of some forty winters, among the group. Again, she was struck by the thought, to each her own.
"What's up, Xena?" He lifted his hands and showed them to her. "I've been keeping to myself."
"Congratulations." She sighed. "I want to spar. Got some time?"
"Of course." He reached for his sword.
"Don't pull it here. Wait'll we get to the training ground."
"Okay."
She eyed Joxer, having finally noticed his excessive joviality. She paused at the edge of the village and grabbed his shoulders. He focused on her with a bit of difficulty. "Damn, you're drunk."
"Well, they kept pressing ale in my hands. You know how good that stuff is?" He gestured back to the party and smiled, stifling a giggle. Xena nearly cried with frustration and disgust. "I can still spar with you if you want."
"I ought to, just to teach you a lesson." She sighed. "But I won't. Go on back to the party, Joxer."
He smiled and turned around, stumbling back to the party. Once he stepped wrong and stubbed his foot against a rock. "Damn," he muttered, then turned back to her, rubbed the brim of his tall hat in farewell. "Night, Xena."
"Joxer, if you are crazy enough to seek companionship tonight, I hope she's as drunk as you are, or there'll be quite a mess for me to clean up in the morning." He nodded and kept walking. Xena stood in the waning torchlight and watched him go. Why did she suddenly feel he was going to have the time of his life, while she, on the other hand, would spend a miserable night alone?
Her body sense pricked up. She looked around and noticed the Amazons only as the bodies came flying out of the shadows. She hit the ground protecting her head against the onslaught of their bodies, kicks, punches and, was that a short club?
She rolled over and pushed herself to her feet, using that part of her skills that could ignore being punched, hit and otherwise in discomfort, in order to stand. She reached for her sword and pulled it free.
The Amazons backed up, but still surrounded her when she brandished her sword and barked, "What the Hades is going on?!"
"Get out, Xena."
"We don't want you here."
The warrior looked from one face to another. She noticed Kieran, the guard who had escorted Gabrielle and herself from the dais. "Why?" No answers were forthcoming from stoic faces. She turned on her heel and pushed her way out of the tightened circle of Amazons. "Well, until someone has the guts to tell me what the problem is, I'll be on the perimeter watch."
Someone whispered frantically to a neighbor and Xena was stopped. "Wait."
"So, I get an explanation now?" She turned, arms crossed over her chest. She could take this group and make pulverized Amazon stew, but she really wanted to find out what was going on, and hopefully keep Gabrielle from being upset with her or the Amazons.
"Gabrielle is our queen."
"No argument here. I made sure she could get back to you whenever you needed her."
"Our queen should be with us," added another one.
Xena sighed. "I've suggested it. She says no. Is that the problem?"
"She says no because of you," someone accused.
"What's your name?"
"Rayna," replied the accuser, a young Amazon, certainly no older than Gabrielle. She was slender, and well-muscled. She had a bow strapped to her back. One of the huntresses for the tribe obviously.
Xena nodded. "I'm sorry you feel slighted. We'll stay as long as necessary to ..."
"We don't need you. We need our queen."
Xena bristled. "I am not leaving without Gabrielle. And she's not staying without me." An Amazon punched her, and the warrior allowed the hit because she felt stupid for having issued an ultimatum in the first place. But when the second fist came flying, she stopped it. "I got the message," she said dryly.
"Get out."
Xena watched muscles flexing, fists opening and closing and prayed quickly for Gabrielle's gift of negotiation. "Ephiny mentioned a separate hut. How about we start there?"
"You're the queen's consort?" This in an amazed tone.
"By Artemis. No wonder she won't leave you."
Xena thought for a moment to take that as a compliment, but then another voice ruined it.
"You must be intimidating her."
"I don't..."
"Don't you? Xena, remember we know the Warrior Princess. The Centaurs. Corinth. Nearly half of Greece. You use intimidation to get your way." That long-winded brief history of the warrior's worst past came from Kieran.
"I've done a lot, Kieran. Someday we'll all sit back and I'll tell you about it over some ales. But the last thing I'd ever ... I would never intimidate Gabrielle. Gods, when we first met, I was a sour..."
"She was pretty bad. Silent as a mouse most of the time. Couldn't get two words out of her."
Everyone turned to see Gabrielle coming up the walk toward the group. They parted and the bard stepped up to Xena. "You'd gone off. Thought you might be at the training ground." She looked around at the Amazons, who reacted with a variety of emotions, from surprise to chagrin, to frustration. Xena smiled warmly for Gabrielle.
"Oh, I was just on my way back. They thought they'd escort me."
"Good." The bard slipped her right hand into Xena's left and walked the warrior back to the party. "But I've got you now." She turned to the group still standing a bit stunned. "You can go back and enjoy the party. Thank you for finding Xena for me."
"Queen Gabrielle." One collected herself and sketched a bow.
"My queen." ANother lifted her short Amazon sword in salute.
"By the grace of Artemis," said another. Gabrielle accepted each response with a nod and then walked away, leading Xena.
Once they were alone on the walk. "Xena, I was looking for Ephiny when I came up on that." She looked back for a moment. "What's going on?"
Xena met the bard's eyes and shook her head. "They think I'm keeping you from your responsibilities here."
"You don't control me, or my choices."
"I thought about telling them that."
"But you didn't."
"I was dodging a fist at the time."
Gabrielle fell silent for a moment. "Let's find Ephiny," she finally said, leading the warrior back into the crowd. "You're taller, so tell me if you see her."
Xena looked over the collection of faces still drifting around the square, dancing, eating, and drinking. She finally spotted the blonde regent talking with one of the drummers. "This way."
Gabrielle followed Xena as the warrior wended her way through the crowd. No one spoke to them. They had little trouble reaching Ephiny when it became pretty clear that the bard and the warrior were headed right for her.
Even she sensed them coming up behind her and glanced from one to the other when she turned and faced them. "Enjoying the party?"
"We have a few questions."
Showing no signs of surprise or curiosity, a remarkably poised Ephiny nodded curtly. "Let's go somewhere."
Gabrielle and Xena fell in beside Ephiny as the regent led the way to her hut. Women eyed them intently and a few steps later, Ephiny turned to Xena. "Can we talk alone?"
Xena stopped and looked to Gabrielle.
Gabrielle looked from Xena to Ephiny. "Go ahead, Xena. Wait in my hut. I'll be right there."
"Are you sure?"
"I'll be all right."
Xena nodded and walked away from the pair taking the path to the queen's hut quickly in the growing darkness. The torches along the path were well-burned down now. She felt the presence nearing before she saw it. "Whoever you are. I'm headed for some quiet. If you really want to disturb that, I suggest you talk to Gabrielle first."
The presence stopped, then moved off. The warrior sighed.