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CHAPTER SEVEN
Kila Mtu Na Roho Yake
"Every man must face his own spirit." - Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
As wordy as she usually was, Xena was struck speechless by the sight before her as she sat astride Argo: camped just far enough from Poteidaia to not arouse suspicion was an army bearing a red and black banner with an intricate design. It wasn't the size of the army that had Xena dumb struck, it was the banner. The last time she saw that banner, and its owner, was five seasons earlier...
"Xena, Destroyer of Nations! I am Sanura! I have traveled from the Land of the Nile to challenge your army!"
Xena, irritated by the seemingly ceaseless parade of young punks trying to make a name for themselves by pitting a bunch of their friends against the immense army under the warrior's command, pushed herself away from the table to tell them to go back home to mommy as she assumed that her soldiers were cleaning up. It was then that she realized by the sounds there was a full fledged army out there fighting her own.
It seemed as though attackers came out of nowhere. No alarms were sounded and the fighting started all at once.
*I'm going to kill Daesis...so much for "Head of Security,"* fumed Xena as she grabbed her sword and chakram and practically flew out of her tent. She found the woman she assumed was "Sanura" standing by the fire pit in the center of the camp.
"Come out, Xena. I've got a present for you."
The warrior could see the present...her slave Malia on her knees with her head held back by the Egyptian warrior's hand which was wrapped firmly in her hair.
Suddenly, having felt the dagger-like blue stare, Sanura turned towards Xena and, with a smile and a wink, she slit the slave's throat and threw the body forward onto the ground to die. She expected the warrior to scream in rage and charge at her, her anger blinding her judgment, but what she didn't count on was that Xena didn't care.
Sauntering slowly towards the Egyptian warrior while donning her weapons and killing any of the soldiers that passed her wearing the red and black banner and similar tattoos, Xena let Sanura know in no uncertain terms that it would indeed take a miracle to save her.
When she was within a pace of Sanura and Malia, she looked down towards the body, then at the Egyptian. Xena hardened here eyes, letting Sanura know in no uncertain terms, that it would take a miracle to save her.
With lightning fast movements, the warrior cut Sanura's red and black leather battle dress and armour from her body. So surprised was the Egyptian, that she couldn't remove her sword before it was deftly cut from her body.
"Do you honestly think that someone called the Destroyer of Nations would care about a slave girl she used for release after a battle?
"Don't be so stupid, Sanura...or maybe stupidity is your weakness..." Adding to the insult, Xena slapped the Egyptian's face with the flat of her sword, then sliced her cheek.
Armed only with the knife that she used to kill Malia, Sanura regained her composure and lunged at the warrior, her own temper blinding her to her actions. She left herself wide open for a counter attack to her right side, which Xena took full advantage of, sinking her blade almost effortlessly into the exposed flesh below the Egyptian's ribcage.
The bite of the sword took Sanura by surprise and she lost her footing. Xena, feeling the loss of balance through the blade that was still embedded in flesh, kicked her over onto the ground and pulled her sword out. She then knelt beside her, a wicked smirk on her face.
"Or maybe your anger is your downfall." Thoughtful for a moment, Xena then added, "Don't worry...you're not alone...I just don't care."
The action around them had stopped. Sanura's men stopped fighting as soon as they saw or knew that their leader had fallen and, confused, Xena's men had also stopped and were looking in their direction.
The warrior stood up straight and looked around, meeting all of the opposing soldiers' eyes. The message was clear: "I'm feeling generous...get out now."
Quietly, the remains of the Egyptian's army picked themselves and their leader up and left the campsite.
"Bring me Daesis...now," ordered the warrior as she stalked off back towards her tent. Five of the soldiers closest to where she was standing ran off in search of the soon-to-be former Head of Security.
Xena crept into the foliage of the forest and silently ascended into the branches of a nearby tree, well out of sight of any of the soldiers. She watched as two camp guards patrolled by her, talking.
"...I think she's finally gone over the deep end."
"I know, but she's convinced that Xena will show up to save the day. We've been here for a quarter moon, but there's no sign of her and since her little girlfriend seems to have moved back home, I doubt if she is coming.
"Hell, she's probably assembling an army right now. You know that Gabrielle is the only person who can keep the Warrior Princess in line..."
"Right, and Sanura has us making sure that if Gabrielle leaves the town, everyone dies and that if we see Xena, or even suspect someone of being her, we're to kill them."
"Maybe Xena doesn't know what's going on?"
"Are you on her side or Sanura's?"
There was a pause as they stopped underneath Xena's branch. Finally, the soldier answered, "Well...if I were a betting man, I would put my money on Xena."
At that, they started walking again. "Turncoat."
"Yeah, but I'd be a rich turncoat..."
Xena slipped out of the tree, crept towards where she had tied Argo and rode away from the camp to figure out a plan.
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CHAPTER EIGHT
In the Tavern
The bard walked in and looked around her for a place to sit, finding herself drawn to sitting in the corner with the best view of everyone, just like Xena. She wanted to fight it and go sit somewhere else, but couldn't. Soon after she sat, Lila came over with her tray.
"Hi Gabrielle!! You want some cider?"
The blonde looked at her sister and pulled some dinars from her pouch. "Actually, some port?"
At her sister's inquiring look, she added, "Please, Lila..."
The younger woman tilted her head to the side and looked into her sister's green eyes before she said, "Okay, Gab...port it is."
She pushed aside her sister's money and, as she walked away, Gabrielle propped her head up on her hand, her arm and elbow resting on the table. She studied the patterns in the grain in front of her, oblivious to the gaze directed to her from a man at the bar.
Lila put her tray on the bar. "A mug of port, please, Damascus." The bartender nodded and turned away to get the order.
"Excuse me, miss?"
Gabrielle's sister turned towards the source of the voice and quickly appraised its owner. She estimated that the man was about twenty two summers old and noted that his dark blonde hair was cropped close to his head. He had an angry looking scar along his cheek bone on the right side of his face, but it did nothing other than heighten his good looks.
"Yes?"
The man looked back over towards Gabrielle. "Might I bring her what she ordered?"
Inwardly, Lila rolled her eyes. *Geez...these guys are never interested in ME...* She nodded as Damascus brought the mug to her and she slid it to the man with the scar.
"This is what she ordered...and a warning. She's my sister."
He, of course, didn't hear her warning as he had already leapt off the stool and, with two drinks in hand, walked across the tavern to where the bard sat.
"Hi. I'm Taj," he said as he put down her mug of port. "May I sit?"
Gabrielle looked up at him and, indifferently, motioned to the chair across from her. "Yeah, sure," she said.
"Well, actually," he said, sliding into the chair next to her, "I want to sit by you.
"What's your name?"
The bard sighed and rolled her eyes, but said nothing She then took a generous swig of the port in front of her and studied the mug itself. The silence at the table was bothersome to the man who called himself Taj. He absently fiddled with an errant piece of leather lacing on his sleeve as he tried to come up with something incredibly witty to break the ice.
"Would you like to hear a story?"
She reflected for a moment about how she always wanted to hear that sentence come from Xena's lips before she nodded for Taj to go ahead.
As he started, she found herself relaxing a little, enjoying the story and the warmth of the port in her belly. When the man finished, Gabrielle gave him a wide, genuine smile.
"Thank you, Taj. That was great."
"You're welcome."
"I'm not used to people telling me stories...I'm usually the one doing the telling," she said, a sad look crossed her features briefly.
Taj took a sip of his cider. "Oh, you're a bard?"
She nodded. "Yep. I guess you could say that." *Although all my scrolls are with Xena...where ever she is...*
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CHAPTER NINE
Dilemma
*Okay, warrior, you're disguised...now, just think about what you're going to say to her...when you find her.*
Xena, already in costume, paced in front of Argo, her brow creased in thought.
*How am I gonna find her? Well...maybe she's telling stories at the tavern. If not, I'll ask the owner if he has seen her.*
Xena turned to Argo as she bent to grab the bag she was using to hold Gabrielle's scrolls and the new sword that completed the disguise.
"I'm sorry I can't take you with me, girl, you're a dead giveaway. Wait for me and be careful, okay? There's plenty of food around here and I showed you where the cave is if you smell trouble..."
After she scratched Argo's nose, the warrior took off towards Poteidaia in her disguise: under a black, hooded cloak she wore black leather pants and a blue shift. Her raven hair was tied back and kept under the hood and the new sword was secured to her side. She even bought nearly new black leather boots, though they were a size larger than she normally wore. As a result, she had to stuff an old shift into the toes to make them fit and that made her walk differently.
The only thing she couldn't figure out was how to disguise her eyes...those piercing baby blues were sure to give her away. Luckily for her, as she was assembling her costume, she met a man named Raybanus who had invented something he called "shades" taking two pieces of dark glass, wrapping some thin silver around them then curving the ends to hold onto the ears to keep the clumsy contraption on a person's face.
"Worn by Apollo himself as he crosses the sky in his chariot to bring light to the world...he needs something to protect his vision, as do the rest of us," he pitched.
It worked. Xena pulled them out of a side pouch and slid them on as she approached the outskirts of the village. No one seemed to recognize her as she made a beeline for the tavern.
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CHAPTER TEN
Disruption
"And so he said 'Just the facts, ma'am!'"
Taj cracked up once he finished reciting the joke, the bard next to him laughing just enough to not hurt his feelings.
*The poor guy...he's trying his hardest to get me into his bed,* thought the bard. *It's just too pathetic...*
Gabrielle felt a tingle on the back of her neck and she looked up towards the door at the stranger who just walked in. She couldn't see his eyes or really anything about him, but she knew she was pulled to him as if she were falling out of a tree...something that hasn't happened to her since she first met a certain Warrior Princess.
Since there was no further movement from the stranger who, she could swear without seeing his eyes, was staring at her, Gabrielle arched her eyebrow at him.
She also noticed Taj playing Connect the Dots between the dark stranger and herself and felt the jealousy start to pour off him. To diffuse the possible situation, Gabrielle turned back to him to make conversation.
*****
Caught by the brilliant green eyes that could only belong to Gabrielle, Xena stopped in the foyer of the tavern and just stared. Even the easy, catchy beat of the music from the stage didn't move her the slightest bit, though, of course, she never even danced normally.
The bard had looked up as soon as she walked in and neither had been able to take their eyes away. The warrior felt safe for the moment...though she would have to tell Gabrielle who she was.
*How do you tell your best friend that you were staring at her while in disguise because you felt safe enough to do so?*
The warrior bit back a smile when Gabrielle raised an eyebrow at her. *Gods, she's so cute...* Xena thought, but she still could not move toward her. She noticed the man beside her bard and how he looked back and forth between the two. Suddenly, the bard broke the eye contact and turned towards him and started talking.
*Well, damn, warrior...what were you expecting? that she'd jump up and run into your arms? You ARE in disguise.*
Easily and carefully, Xena picked her way around the dancing bodies towards Gabrielle and she found that her mind had gone blank. She stood next to the bard for a moment, not saying a word.
*****
Though she seemed wrapped up in the conversation she was having with Taj, Gabrielle was actually watching the mysterious stranger approach her....then stop.
*Okay...maybe he's interested in Taj??* thought the bard as she continued to pay attention to both men. When she noticed that Taj was about to deal with the man behind her Gabrielle turned around to see what the stranger wanted.
*****
The light coming from those emerald pools gave Xena the strength she needed to pull this off.
The warrior cleared her throat and lowered her voice a little. "I never thought I'd find you. I think you want this back..." Xena then gave the bard the bag and waited for her response.
Gabrielle narrowed her eyes at the disguised Xena and opened the pouch, though her response was far from what the warrior expected.
*****
The bard took the bag, surprised by its weight, and opened it, suspicious of the stranger. Inside were all of her scrolls...and it broke her heart.
*Gods...I guess Xena left these in Harcos. As soon as she got rid of me, she got rid of them...*
Gabrielle felt the lump start in her throat and the tears start to fill her eyes. She wanted to thank the stranger...or fall into his arms, but couldn't bring herself to move, much less stand or fall. She couldn't even open her mouth to thank him.
She could also sense the growing unease in the body standing next to her, but she couldn't turn.
*****
*Something's wrong,* thought Xena. *She's not saying anything...she's not doing anything...*
Suddenly, the warrior panicked. *Oh gods...she must think I threw them out and this stranger that I'm pretending to be picked them up.*
In a flurry of impulse, Xena bent down and whispered in the bard's ear, "I hope this isn't rude of me, but may I have this dance?"
*****
Gabrielle turned to look at the stranger, that whisper eerily familiar. A single tear rolled down her right cheek, which he gently wiped away, then smiled and offered her his arm to lead her to the dance floor.
*Xena doesn't dance...* flitted across her mind, but was ignored as she saw her sister passing by.
"Lila...take care of this for me, will ya?" she asked, all the while giving the stranger a smile of thanks in return.
The bard didn't take her gaze away from the mysterious stranger with the dark glass covering his eyes. Her sister did as she was requested, gracefully grabbing the bag while balancing several mugs of varying fullness on her tray and maneuvering around the floor full of drunken, dancing patrons.
Regardless of the protests from Taj, Gabrielle took the stranger's proffered arm and was led out to the front of the dance floor. The band made a nice segue from the fast song they were playing to a slow one as the two of them started swaying together.
The bard, nervous, wiped her eyes, then put her hands on the stranger's waist as he put his on her shoulders. She bent to get a look under the dark pieces of glass.
Letting her curiosity get the better of her, Gabrielle asked, "How can you see with those things covering your eyes?"
The stranger smirked, then took one hand from the bard's smooth, soft shoulder and lifted the contraption just enough so the petite woman could see what was hidden.
Before Gabrielle could mention her name, Xena replaced the shades on her nose and silenced her with a quiet "Shhh..."
The bard sighed in relief and wrapped her arms around the warrior's waist underneath the cloak, pressing herself close. Xena smiled and, with a wary eye on Taj, who was still sitting at the table, returned the embrace, then bent her head close to Gabrielle's right ear so no one could hear her. She thought she felt a shiver run through the bard's body, but wasn't sure.
"There is an army camped about half a day's ride from here...but a detachment of their best men have already infiltrated the village. Their orders are to kill me on sight and to kill everyone in Poteidaia if you leave.
"They're after me, Gabrielle...rather she is after me."
The bard gently squeezed the warrior. Slowly, Xena moved to Gabrielle's left ear and changed her questioning tactics.
"Who's that man you were talking to?" She tried desperately to keep any jealousy out of her voice, but couldn't tell if she succeeded, the heat of the bard's body distracting her. She could feel Gabrielle's mouth turn to a smile.
"His name's Taj...he's a bard, too." The bard's whisper tickled the warrior's neck and she could feel her heartbeat pick up.
Xena cleared her throat and tried to fight the unwarrior-like blush that threatened to crawl up her cheeks. "Uh...did you notice if he had any tattoos?"
Gabrielle smiled at her and closed her eyes. She then pulled herself tighter against the lithe frame of the taller woman. "Yeah, he had a tattoo."
"Do you know what it looks like?" asked the warrior, unconsciously nuzzling the side of the blonde's head.
"Well, what I saw kinda looked like this," she said as she lazily traced the pattern onto Xena's back, the warrior's eyes shutting under sensory duress.
*Get a grip on yourself,* Xena thought as she opened her eyes and saw Taj stand up. Slowly, she turned both of them.
"Gabrielle...your bard approacheth..." The blonde opened her eyes, assessed the situation, then looked up at Xena.
"Kiss me."
"What?" asked Xena, trying to sound appalled, but every fibre of her being screamed at her to do just that.
The bard smiled at Xena and slid a hand up behind her neck, pulling her down. "I said, 'Kiss me.' If you do, then maybe he'll go away peacefully."
"Excuse me, sir, but the lady is with me..." announced Taj before Gabrielle could claim the warrior's lips.
Drawing herself up to her full height, Xena looked at the man from behind her shades. "That's up to her to decide, isn't it?"
The bard turned in Xena's arms to address the man. "I'm sorry, Taj...I would have told you about my boyfriend, Killian, but I thought we had broken up..."
The warrior cupped Gabrielle's chin and turned her to look into those beautiful green eyes. "Can we go some place less crowded to talk?"
The bard answered by kissing the palm of the hand that was on her chin and leading Xena away by the hand that was resting on her waist.
"Thanks for the stories and jokes, Taj...I'm sorry..." said Gabrielle as the two of them walked out of the tavern.
Several snickering men walked up to him as he made his way back to the table. "Guess you struck out with blondie, huh, Taj?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The man sat down and frowned. He had thought he was getting somewhere with her. He'd told her all his best jokes and stories and she had seemed to like him.
Taj stood, deciding that he should follow the blonde again in case Xena should show up. Then he could deal with the boyfriend whom, it was obvious, was no warrior.
He was glad that he already knew the way to Gabrielle's house, having followed her for most of the day. While she was bedridden with illness, he had monitored her healing progress from afar, having been given the task of watching over the beautiful blonde by Sanura herself. With the knowledge that he already had, he took a different route to her house so she wouldn't notice him.
Continued here>
Back to the beginning of "Ghost."
Send mail for Magenta to: the_AURYN@angelfire.com
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