The Cabin

By B. L. Miller

Contact:bl@blmiller.net

 

The rest of the moon was spent healing their minds as well as their bodies. Although Xena was still less than forthcoming about her personal feelings, she did make it a point to tell Gabrielle daily of her love. Gabrielle was quickly adjusting to their new depth of their relationship and couldn’t be happier. The age old fear of Xena leaving her behind was quickly fading with each new touch, kiss, and murmur of love between them.

Gabrielle’s back was to Xena as she pulled her shift on. She felt the strong hands of her warrior on her shoulders, then down her back. "There’s going to be some scars." Xena said quietly as her finger trailed over some of the more severe whip marks. At one time, they would have been a daily reminder of Xena’s failure to protect the bard. Now they were a daily reminder of Gabrielle’s love and devotion to her. This change in feeling wasn’t caused within Xena. Gabrielle forced her to talk about the deep gashes and what they meant. Until their talk, Xena was convinced that they were a punishment to her for letting Gabrielle get hurt. It took many candlemarks of talking by Gabrielle to change her mind. She was brought back to the present by the feeling of the bard turning around in her arms.

"I love you, Xena." She said those words knowing how much Xena needed to hear them and she made a point to say them as often as she could. She forced herself to be content with the occasional returns by her love. Gabrielle realized how much effort it took for Xena to express her feelings, no matter how strong they were.

"I love you. I just wish you didn’t have to suffer because of that love." She brought her hand up to cup Gabrielle’s face. It was that face she wanted to wake up to each morning and go to sleep by each night. It was the face of the other half of her soul.

"I would only suffer if you took that love away." Gabrielle said sincerely. They moved closer, preparing to seal their love with a kiss.

"It took you two long enough." Both women turned to see the owner of the melodic voice. A shimmering glow settled into the grace and beauty of the Goddess Athena.

"Athena." Gabrielle said quietly and lowered to her knees. Xena controlled a smirk and remained standing.

"Rise, child." Athena said as she waved her hand in an upward motion. Gabrielle rose and put her arm around Xena’s waist, partly for comfort, partly for support in the company of a goddess.

"What can we do for you, Athena?" Xena asked in the most civilized tone possible. She hated when any of the gods interfered in their lives. It was almost always trouble and she was sure that this time would be no exception.

"So untrusting, my little warrior." Athena’s silvery voice chimed. "I should ask what do you want of me? Especially after all the times I’ve heard my name screamed from your lips recently." A smile went across Athena’s face as she watched Xena turn beet red.

"I wasn’t really calling you. I was…" Xena stopped, realizing that she was only digging a deeper hole for herself. Gabrielle was no longer able to suppress her giggle. Xena shot her a look before returning a stoic gaze toward the goddess. "Never mind."

"Well, I am glad to see that you finally opened your heart to someone, Xena." Athena said quietly and in a tone that the proud warrior didn’t expect. Before more words could be said, a golden mist appeared next to Athena. "Ah, I see we have company."

"Wonderful. What is this, a hangout for the gods?" Xena grumbled, receiving a gentle jab in the stomach from the bard, who was still intimidated about being in the presence of one god and now being faced with the addition of another.

"Who is it?" She whispered to her warrior.

"Ah, my dear Gabrielle." Aphrodite’s form materialized from the mist. "There is a glow that surrounds your heart. Your love is pure and undivided. You have no idea how blessed you truly are." Gabrielle went crimson and looked down at her feet as she listened to the praise from the Goddess of Love.

"Thank…thank you." Gabrielle stammered.

"And you…" Aphrodite moved closer and faced Xena. "You struggle with the truth that lies within your heart. You fear your dark side will come back and overpower your love. That is a powerful battle, Xena. Share the struggle with the one who would help you willingly. All you have to do is ask her. You have yet to realize the depths of her love for you or your love for her." A smirk came to the face of the goddess. "I appreciate your remembrance of me from time to time." The immediate understanding caused another blush to creep up the warrior’s face. A white owl flew down the chimney and fluttered to a stop between Athena and Gabrielle.

"I know I never said your name." Xena protested as the owl changed into the goddess Artemis.

"Aren’t we a little jumpy?" Artemis teased. She looked at Gabrielle. "My queen, I thought by now you would have used up all of her excess energy."

"I…" Gabrielle didn’t know what kind of answer to give the goddess. "I try." She said as she stared at the ground. The three goddesses broke into an uproarious fit of laughter. Gabrielle quickly joined and Xena quickly wished she was anywhere but in that cabin at the moment.

"Is there a reason for this visit other than to embarrass me?" Xena asked in a bored tone. The other women slowly returned to seriousness.

"Someday you will learn some respect, mortal." Artemis growled, although she knew that she would never hurt Xena or allow any other god to. The pain it would cause her beloved Amazon Queen would be too much. "But this is not the time for that conversation." She turned and put her hands on Gabrielle’s arms. A warm glow passed through the bard, healing all her wounds, relieving all her aches and pains. When Artemis released her, Gabrielle stumbled slightly and was quickly caught and supported by Xena’s strong hands. She looked at Xena to thank her, then turned her gaze back to the Moon Goddess. "Gabrielle, there is a great danger to my Amazons. They need your presence to guide them through this troubled time. Without you, I fear they will perish. I have healed your wounds. It is my gift to you as you start this new quest."

"What if she doesn’t want to go? If there’s trouble, she could get hurt." Xena protested.

"I am not obligated to give you an answer, warrior, but I will anyway. She accepted the title of queen. As such, she accepts all that comes with that title." Artemis’ tone had a touch of anger to it.

"She didn’t accept getting herself killed!" Xena retorted.

"Yes I did." Gabrielle said firmly. "I accept what ever comes with it." Her look went straight to Xena, telling her without words that this was not a subject that was up for discussion.

"Why did the three of you have to come to deliver that message?" Xena asked as she turned her attention back to the other two goddesses.

"You ask a lot of questions for someone who couldn’t say three little words only a moon ago." Aphrodite teased. "I was beginning to doubt my abilities with you two."

"Actually, this is Hercules’ cabin." Gabrielle said shyly. "It was his decision to have us stay up here."

"Gabrielle, you’re arguing with a goddess." Xena leaned over and reminded her. The bard’s mouth stopped and she looked at the floor again. "Sorry."

"So innocent." Aphrodite laughed. "I understand why she’s one of your most favored, Athena." She turned to look at the moon goddess. "And your chosen." She turned and caught the shocked expression on Xena’s normally stoic face. "Ah yes, warrior, your little bard is favored by more than the gods you see here. She is blessed by many. You would do well to always remember just how special she really is."

"Enough of this idle chatter." Athena broke in. She was not especially pleased with Aphrodite’s loose tongue. There were many times that the goddess wanted to take Gabrielle and make her one of her vestal virgins. The only thing that held her back was the knowledge that Xena wouldn’t survive her struggle for redemption without the young woman. At the moment that Gabrielle had given herself to the warrior, Athena felt a sense of loss that she had not felt in eons.

"You are needed at the Amazon village." Artemis looked at Gabrielle. "As for you, Xena," Her attention shifted to the tall warrior. "I can only assume that you would go where ever she goes."

"Always!" Xena answered vehemently.

"Good." Artemis smiled with satisfaction. "I’m sure your skills will be quite useful."

"Excuse me?" Gabrielle timidly interrupted. "I’m more than willing to go back to the Amazon village and do what I can to help, but I don’t understand why it took all three of you to tell me." She repeated Xena’s earlier question. Unlike the time that Xena asked it, the goddesses willingly answered.

"I came, of course, because you are the queen of my Amazons and I had to give you the gift of healing." Artemis answered.

"Thank you." Gabrielle replied.

"I actually came to help you, Xena." Athena said as she approached the confused warrior. "You won’t be of much use to Gabrielle if you’re still healing from your injuries. You have shown great promise and progress in your quest to find redemption. This battle will require all of your strength and many of your skills if you are to become victorious. Your dark side may tempt you, your fear may overshadow your rational thoughts. Be strong, Xena. This may be your toughest battle." She placed her hands on Xena’s shoulders and repeated the healing process that Artemis had performed on Gabrielle. The warrior looked over at Aphrodite and arched her eyebrow, waiting for the goddess of love to answer the question.

"I came because the strength of the love between you two is something special and should be treasured. I merely wanted to see it for myself. I give the two of you my blessing on your love. May it be the guiding force that leads both your lives." Both mortals smiled and nodded their appreciation at the blessing of the mighty goddess. There was no way to deny their love now, it had been blessed by the goddess of love herself.

"There will be an unseasonable thaw in four sunrises. You must leave then and head to the village." Athena said.

"How will we know what the trouble is?" Gabrielle asked.

"We’ll know, Gabrielle." Xena said dryly

"Remember, four sunrises." Artemis said as she shimmered and returned to the form of a white owl. Gabrielle and Xena watched her go back up the chimney. When they turned around, they realized that the other two goddesses were also gone.

"Xena, what do you think Aphrodite meant?" She asked as they sat down at the table.

"About what?" She hated the way the gods talked in circles. It always gave her a headache. As if to ward one off, Xena started to rub her temples.

"About my being my being favored by more gods."

"Don’t let it go to your head, Gabrielle." Xena sighed. "I’ve found that some of the favors that the gods bestow aren’t really favors at all, more like curses." She unconsciously shuddered at the thought of her relationship with the god of war. It was only the strength of Gabrielle’s faith in her that kept Xena from returning to his intoxicating presence. Gabrielle knew immediately what Xena was thinking about. She put a firm hand on her warrior’s shoulder, bringing Xena back to the present.

"I won’t. Although I do think it’s a good sign that Aphrodite blessed us." She ran a finger down Xena’s jawline, ending at the chin. "I’ve never heard any bad things about her. I’m going to take it as a good thing." She smiled, triumphant with her decision.

"I think that the fact that all three of them showed up is a good sign that whatever we’re getting into, it’s going to be one hades of a battle." Their mouths went quiet at they gazed into each others eyes. Since their first night of lovemaking, the unspoken fear of loss had weighed on each of their hearts. The knowledge that a battle was most likely coming soon pushed the fear to the foreground. Unable to keep her emotions in check, Gabrielle let the tears roll down her face. Without saying a word, Xena pulled her into a tight embrace and scooped the little bard into her arms. She laid her down on the bed and held her, letting Gabrielle release all the sobs and tears that expressed her fears. The warrior stared at the empty fireplace, absently stroking Gabrielle’s hair. The bard couldn’t see the tears that filled the blue eyes of her warrior. They laid there quietly, involved in their own thoughts, until both fell into an uneasy, restless slumber.

As expected, a warm thaw occurred on the fourth sunrise. They worked their way quickly down the mountainside, careful of the icy patches that still appeared on the road. They both walked, using Argo’s strength to carry more food and gear than normal. It would take the better part of a week to reach the Amazon village and they didn’t want to waste time by stopping at inns to eat. Breaking only for lunch, they traveled quickly, stopping only when it became too dark to continue. Xena hated traveling at night. It was much more difficult to avoid ambushes or other unpleasantries. After waking up and repacking their gear, they would head out again, eating breakfast while they walked. Gabrielle filled the time by reciting her endless list of stories and prose. Xena tried to listen to every word, but found herself drifting off again and again, her mind worrying about the warnings given by Athena. Gabrielle sensed that her audience wasn’t listening, but rather than be upset by it, she understood that Xena had something important on her mind. They walked along in silence for several moments before Xena realized that the bard had stopped talking. Realizing that she had been caught not listening, the warrior looked at her love with a sheepish grin. "I’m sorry, Gabrielle. I guess I just have some things on my mind right now." She reached out and caressed the bard’s cheek. "You know I love you." It was more of a question than a statement. Gabrielle responded by pulling the warrior close and kissing her.

"I know you do. I understand." Gabrielle’s blue-green eyes sparkled. They walked on in companionable silence for the rest of the day.

They arrived on the edges of the Amazon village before nightfall on the fourth day. Xena thought about setting up a camp and entering the village in the morning, but the thought of a hearty meal and a warm bed gave them the needed energy to continue on. They were met at the gate by Ephiny and a royal guard. As they walked to the palace, Xena briefly explained that they had been attacked by Drax and were recovering at Hercules’ cabin when the three goddesses appeared and told them to come to the village. Ephiny listened quite intensely to the story, visibly shaken when she heard of Gabrielle’s whipping.

"I will see to it that you both get warm meals and hot baths." Ephiny said. "Queen Gabrielle, your room is just as you left it. I’ll have one of the servants prepare a room for you, Xena."

"That won’t be necessary." Gabrielle said quickly. The three of them exchanged glances as understanding formed on Ephiny’s face.

"Very well, then. As you wish, my queen." Ephiny’s tone was civil, polite. The Amazon hid her own feelings well. Although Gabrielle failed to catch the change in the Amazon’s tone, it was not missed by the warrior, nor was the look that Ephiny gave her as she left.

"Xena, from what Ephiny says, there hasn’t been any problems since we were last here. Why do you think Artemis wanted us to come back?" They were walking over to the food hut, where a feast had been laid out in honor of their returning queen. The Amazons were well aware of their queen’s ravenous appetite and had outdone themselves with both the quantity and variety of food. Xena couldn’t resist a chuckle when she saw Gabrielle’s eyes widen as she took in the sight.

"Try to leave some for the other people." Xena teased. She was rewarded with a playful elbow in the ribs. Xena’s eyes locked with Ephiny’s, who was standing at the other side of the room. "Gabrielle, will you be all right for a little while? I have to go talk to someone."

"Sure how much trouble could I possibly get into?" Gabrielle asked innocently before breaking out into laughter. Xena chuckled and put her hand on the bard’s shoulder.

"Try not to find any. I’ll be back in a few minutes." With that, she turned and walked out, knowing that Ephiny would soon follow.

Xena walked over to the fountain and waited. Within seconds she heard Ephiny’s footsteps. She turned to face an emotional Amazon.

"She’s given you her heart." The pain and hurt in Ephiny’s voice was clear. Xena only nodded. Unable to control her feeling of loss and anger, the Amazon moved closer and spoke in a low angry voice. "She deserves better than you. She deserves a home, a place where people love and respect her. She deserves to be kept safe from harm, not thrown into it just because you want to redeem yourself. How long do you think it will be before someone decides to do to her what you’ve done countless times to innocent villagers? How long before someone decides to exact revenge on her for your crimes? How long before she loses her blood innocence? She belongs here, Xena. She belongs with the Amazons."

"With you?" Xena countered.

"Yes, with…" The Amazon caught herself. "With the Amazons. She made the wrong choice."

"It was her choice to make." The warrior growled back. Ephiny sighed and looked at the night sky. Neither spoke for several heartbeats.

"She is so beautiful." The Amazon said wistfully. "She has no idea just how many hearts she touches."

"No, she doesn’t." Xena quietly agreed. Ephiny spun around and glared at the warrior.

"Is she just another conquest for-." Her words were cut off as Xena’s hands wrapped around her throat while the warrior’s right leg moved forward and swept the Amazon’s feet out from under, pinning her to the ground.

"Don’t…ever…say…that!" Xena hissed through clenched teeth as she looked down at the furious Amazon. With a grunt, she pushed herself off of Ephiny and stepped back a few paces. She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. Ephiny slowly rose to her feet, trying to maintain a defensive stance around the irate warrior. Xena kept her back to the Amazon. "You know it’s more than that." She said evenly.

"I know." Ephiny admitted. "Do you understand that I would give anything to have her in my life?" She sighed. "Xena, I’m sorry. When I found out…well…it’s hard to watch dreams die." Her admission struck a chord in Xena. She turned to face the Amazon.

"I know." She walked over and put a hand on Ephiny’s shoulder. "I swear I will do everything in my power to protect her. But it is her life. It was her choice." Ephiny started to walk away, then turned and faced Xena.

"If you ever to anything to hurt her, I swear I’ll hunt you down and kill you." It wasn’t a threat, it was a promise. Ephiny tensed, expecting another physical reaction from the warrior.

"Ephiny, if I ever intentionally hurt her, I hope you do come and kill me." Xena turned and walked to the stables. Ephiny watched her walk away, then headed back to her room at the palace, deep in her feelings of loss.

On her way back to the palace, Gabrielle found herself drawn to a group of young women gathered around a fire. They were giggling and laughing while passing around a wineskin. "May I join you?" She asked as she approached them. Several recognized her immediately and moved as if to leave. "No, please stay. I only wish to join you."

"Of course you are welcome to join us." A girl not much younger than Gabrielle stood and motioned for Gabrielle to join her on the log.

"My Queen…" The royal guardswoman protested.

"Oh, you can go back to the palace if you like. I’ll be fine here." Gabrielle said quickly as she took a turn at the wineskin. It was smooth and strong and she took several gulps before passing it on. She frowned when she saw that the guard had not moved. "Return to the palace." Unable to violate a direct command from the queen, the guard nodded meekly and headed to the palace, hoping that she wouldn’t get six moons guard duty at the south wall for leaving the queen alone.

Gabrielle quickly settled in and eagerly joined the chatter, as well as taking turns with the wine. Several Amazons passed the group, smiling at the sight of six animated young women all trying to talk at once.

"So you ride with Xena?"

"What’s she like?"

"As queen, do you get to decide what chores to do?"

"Can you make that sound she makes? You know, that yi yi sound?"

"Whoa!" Gabrielle put her hands out to stop the barrage of questions. She found the wineskin being put back in her hand again. She took a swallow as she heard two of the girls talking quietly about the tailor and the smithy. "What did you hear?" Gabrielle asked in a conspiratory manner.

"Well…" Dyna said quietly as she moved closer to the fire. All the others also moved closer, eager to hear the latest piece of gossip.

Xena walked back across the village to find several giggling girls surrounding a dying fire. From the wineskin that she saw being passed back and forth between the silhouetted Amazons, she realized that they were probably very intoxicated.

"No! While on a saddle? Wouldn’t that be…well…awkward?" Xena groaned at the familiarity of the voice while the drunken group burst into more fits of laughter.

"Gabrielle." Xena’s voice boomed as she quickly strode closer to the group. There were several muffled giggles and the warrior’s hearing picked up on the ‘Shh’ sound being made by the bard. "Gabrielle, I know you’re up there. Come over here." She was greeted with more giggles.

"Uh…Gabrielle’s not here." The bard said, sending herself and the rest of the group into another fit of laughter. Her laughter stopped when she felt the six foot warrior looming over her. "Uh oh." The other girls quieted down immediately, either in awe or in fear of Xena. Gabrielle turned her head up and looked up. "Uh, hi Xena."

"Hi." Xena said evenly while she tried to keep a grin from appearing on her face. Even drunk, Gabrielle still looked cute.

"Uh…we were just talking."

"Yeah, talking." Dyna said, then looking at the wineskin in her hand, she held it up proudly. "And drinking." The group giggled uncontrollably. Gabrielle leaned back against Xena’s legs for support. The warrior rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, and drinking." Gabrielle chimed in. "But I only had a little." She held her forefinger and thumb out to illustrate.

"Yeah right!" Dyna teased as she elbowed the queen. Just then, several angry looking Amazons walked over to the group.

"Dyna! Aris! What are you two doing out here so late?" Dyna quickly passed the wineskin to Gabrielle. The bard tried to take a sip, but the skin was quickly removed by the warrior.

"Mother!" Dyna stood up, wobbling for moment before finding her balance. Aris and two other girls also stood up as they saw their mothers heading for them. "We were just having some fun."

"I hope you didn’t get into your aunt’s private stock again." Dyna’s mother said as she pointed her wagging finger at her drunken daughter.

"Okay, Gabrielle. I think it’s time for you to go to bed too." Xena said as she bent down and scooped the bard up in her arms. The warrior looked up when she heard the gasp from one of the mothers.

"Oh my goddess. It’s the queen herself." Dyna’s mother said, astonished. "I’m sorry my daughter got her in that condition." She slapped her daughter on the back of the head.

"Don’t worry about it." Xena chuckled. "Gabrielle doesn’t need any help to get into trouble." The mother nodded and walked away, scolding her daughter the entire time. Xena looked down quickly when she felt Gabrielle’s hand cup her breast.

"Hi Xena." The queen said seductively, her words slurred.

"Hi yourself."

"I’m drunk." She said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, you are." Xena agreed as she kissed the top of Gabrielle’s head. Despite the bard’s playful teases, Xena knew that Gabrielle would be fast asleep once she was in bed. She was right.

Morning found a very hung over Gabrielle trying to stop the pounding in her head. "I’m never going to drink that much again." She moaned as they entered the food hut. Xena looked around and saw an equally hung over Dyna sitting at a far table, propping her head up with her hands.

"Looks like your new friend is in the same condition you are." The warrior chuckled. Gabrielle caught sight of Dyna and waved. The young Amazon waved back, happy that the queen wasn’t mad at her for getting her so drunk the night before. "What do you want to eat?"

"Something that isn’t going to make me sick." Gabrielle replied as she passed by a tray of some kind of creamed meat. The faint sound of a warning horn caught their attention as well as the attention of the rest of the room. Without saying a word, Xena and Gabrielle ran toward the village entrance.

They arrived to see a young Amazon warrior hanging on to her horse, her left arm bleeding. Two women went over and helped her off of the horse. With her long legs, Xena reached the woman before the queen. "What happened?" She asked as she looked for more injuries.

"Raiders. They’re coming this way. At least a hundred of them." The alert was sounding throughout the village. Xena turned and looked at her lover.

"Gabrielle, you have to go back to the palace. Ephiny will stay with you."

"Xena, are you trying to leave me behind again? Because if you are, I thought we already talked about this." Gabrielle tried to keep the frustration out of her voice, but failed. Xena sighed. Just once she would like the bard to listen to her and not argue.

"Gabrielle, this isn’t a case of my trying to protect you. You are Queen of the Amazons. You’re needed here, in the village. Let your warriors and archers handle this, that’s what they’re trained for." She paused. "Gabrielle, please?"

"I don’t like it." Gabrielle said angrily. She hated when Xena was right.

"There’s no time to argue." Xena said quickly as she saw the quickly formed groups of warriors heading to the north gate. "I’ll go help them all that I can." She started to head away, but Gabrielle grabbed her arm.

"I guess this is the battle that Athena warned us about." She looked up into the blue eyes that she loved so much. "Xena, be careful. I don’t want to be a widow again." She put her head on the warrior’s chest, listening to the strong heartbeat of her soulmate. Xena reached down and put her hand on the bard’s chin, turning her head upward.

"I swear I’ll be careful." She said as she brought her mouth down for a final kiss before heading off to join the Amazon warriors. Gabrielle wiped her eyes, then reluctantly headed back to the palace.

Ephiny nodded as Gabrielle walked in. "What can I do?" The young queen asked as she moved over to look at the map that was sprawled out on the table.

"There isn’t too much more that can be done." Ephiny replied. "We’ve sent our best troops to cover the north gate. Hopefully they can overpower the raiders without sustaining too many injuries."

"What about the south gate?" Gabrielle asked thoughtfully.

"We have a standard compliment of archers and warriors covering it. Our main concern is the north gate. That’s where the raiders are."

"Uh huh." The bard mumbled. "Ephiny, why would anyone try to attack from the north? After all, that gate is easier to defend than the south one. Besides, we have the added advantage of the north woods. It would be easy for our warriors to circle around and surround them if necessary. It doesn’t make sense…" Gabrielle’s eyes grew wide. "It’s a trick!" She yelped. "Ephiny, what’s the best way to get our warriors away from our weakest point of entry?" The Amazon’s mouth opened as she realized the point that the young queen was trying to make.

"By distracting them!" Ephiny quickly ran over to one of the guards. "Get every woman who’s capable of fighting and get them to the south gate immediately." The guard quickly took off to sound the alarm. Gabrielle grabbed her staff and headed for the door. "Where do you think you’re going?"

"To help defend the south gate." Gabrielle said defiantly.

"My Queen, I can’t take the chance of you getting hurt."

"Ephiny!" Gabrielle’s eyes flashed with fury. "There is no way I am going to ask the women of this village to risk their lives guarding the south gate while I stay hidden. All of our best warriors are at the north gate. We need every available person to protect the south entrance. I am going." Her tone was similar to the one that Xena used when she wanted no argument. "This is not open for discussion." Gabrielle stormed out of the palace, Ephiny right behind her.

They quickly reached the small group of women that were forming at the south gate. Gabrielle recognized several members of the royal guard. They were easy to pick out because of their distinctive blue tunics. Several other women were getting into different types of armor while others were testing the tension on their bowstrings. One of the guards walked over to them. "My Queen, please take this for your protection." She handed Gabrielle chain mail. The bard looked at her quizzically. "It will help protect you from arrows." The Amazon explained. Gabrielle smiled and let Ephiny help her don the armor.

"Are we ready?" Gabrielle asked as she moved her arms about, trying to get a feel for the strange armor before the battle.

"I still don’t like the idea of you being in the middle of this." Ephiny said. "But yes, we’re ready." Gabrielle ignored the comment made by the second in command.

"Let’s go." She looked at the hastily assembled group of guards, farmers, and any other able bodied woman they could find. Raising her voice to a bardic level, she addressed the group. "My fellow Amazons, I feel that a trap has been set. Our best warriors are trying to protect the north entrance. It is up to us to defend the south. Your safety is of the utmost importance. Don’t try to be a hero. Our goal is to keep them from entering the village before our warriors can get here to help. We’ve already sent someone to warn them." She looked around one more time at each of the Amazons before giving the signal to begin. The gate opened and they headed out, determined to protect their village or die trying.

They were just over a candlemark’s walk from the south gate when the battle started. The Amazons quickly took cover from the barrage of flying arrows. Ephiny and Gabrielle took cover behind a fallen log. "There’s more than a hundred of them." Gabrielle said breathlessly. Ephiny nodded.

"You’re right. It was a trick." The Amazons started to return fire with the few arrows that they had. Gabrielle knew that her staff was no good unless she was up front, near the attackers. Using hand signals, she indicated to Ephiny her plan. The Amazon shook her head frantically. "It’s too dangerous."

"Is it any less dangerous than waiting for them to roll over us? My staff is useless back here." Ephiny reluctantly agreed. Catching the attention of a nearby archer, Ephiny used hand signals to indicate that she should provide cover. The archer nodded and started to fire random arrows as Gabrielle and Ephiny moved from the cover of the log. Gabrielle reached one soldier and quickly disarmed him before knocking him out. She turned and assumed a battle stance as another soldier approached her. He had obviously never battled a staff before and he quickly went down. With all the noise and commotion, Gabrielle never heard the whistling sound of the arrow before it embedded itself deep into her thigh. She fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Reaching with both hands, she pulled out the projectile.

"Do you think you can move?" Ephiny asked as she moved to protect the fallen queen. She ran her sword through an approaching soldier. To her dismay, several more were coming right for them.

"Go back, get reinforcements." Gabrielle croaked.

"I can’t. There’s too many of them." She ducked as more arrows flew through the air at them. Gabrielle looked around.

"We’re cut off, aren’t we?" She said quietly. Ephiny didn’t answer, she was too busy fighting. Gabrielle leaned against the tree trunk and forced herself into a standing position, putting her weight on her good leg. She knocked three more men down before the loss of blood sent her sinking back to the ground. Ephiny backed up under the relentless attack. She backed up too far and fell down a deep ravine, landing on the ground with a sickening thud. Seeing their queen defenseless, several Amazons moved forward to try to protect her. They never made it.

Xena and Eponin worked their way through the raiders troops. It was almost too easy. They easily outnumbered the raiders. Xena figured there were less than fifty. The Amazons easily pushed the raiders back. Xena had spent too many years as a warlord not to notice that something was wrong. She quickly dispatched the man she had been fighting with and moved over to Eponin. "Something’s wrong."

"What?" Eponin asked, never taking her eyes off of the enemy.

"They’re not trying to advance. It’s like they’re trying to keep us busy…" Just then the retreat horn and the emergency horns were sounded. Realization hit Xena. "Eponin, the south gate! It’s a trick!" She quickly somersaulted into the tree and moved from branch to branch, quickly working her way back to the north gate, the Amazons right behind her. Xena noticed grimly that the raiders didn’t follow them. It only confirmed her suspicions about the ruse.

Xena didn’t bother to stop at the palace, especially when she no guards standing outside. She ran right to the south gate, quickly followed by Amazons. Xena recognized Dyna standing at the gate, awkwardly holding a sword. When she saw Xena, she pointed at the south gate.

The Amazon warriors arrived just in time to meet the raiders before they reached the gate. Unlike the troops they had faced in the north woods, these troops were massive in number and strength and intent on getting into the Amazon village. Quick glances showed Xena no sign of Gabrielle. Her attention immediately changed as three raiders came at her with their swords raised. With a quick flick of the wrist, she sent her chakram flying, striking all three before returning to her hand. She ran and drop kicked another one before running her sword through yet another. The battle raged on as the Amazons slowly gained control over the battle. No prisoners were taken. Too many Amazon lives had been lost today.