"Fire within me!" Rohan cried, holding his sword high in the air. Beads of fire swept around his body, turning into his mystic armor as they hardened into gold plates. Xena watched in amazement as the phenomenon occured, a grim smile on her face.
"Impressive," she said. "And you all have this power?"?"
"Yeah," Angus said, putting down his pack near the castle gates and shimmying up closer to Xena. "Some of us...more powerful than others."
Xena placed her palm flat on his face and shoved him gently to the ground, drawing her own sword and holding it before her as Rohan did when he called his Battle Fury, speaking almost the same words as he had, with only one major change.
"Virtues within me!" She cried. The insignia carved into the black breastplate on her tunic glowed a sharp green color, bursting out to wrap around her. In the shape of a star it covered her face, went over her shoulders and around her waist, becoming black and bright green armor. Unlike Deirdre's own armored skirt, which wouldn't protect her long legs from attack, Xena's armor formed a kilt which simply added itself to her original costume. When her armor stopped glowing and became a part of her, she lowered her sword and gazed at the other knights, who stood amazed.
"Fantastic!" Ivar said. "But how can you have mystic powers?"
"I learned of them many yeears ago, but have never used them until this moment. They are simply there to protect me if the need is great enough."
"Is that all the protection you have, then?" Deirdre asked, pointing at Xena's kilt. Xena shook her head.
"No. There's more."
With that she closed her eyes, bringing her arms up over her chest, her hands fisted; and, popping them out to her sides, she said two words that brought chills to Rohan.
"Battle Fury!"
In that movement, a clinking sound was heard, and armor dropped from her kilt to cover her legs more completely than any of the men's armor did. Xena opened her eyes and smiled at her new friends.
Rohan stepped forward, moving his hands awkwardly as he did when he was trying to say something important.
"Xena...it must be true. You are the missing part of Draganta. Just as Cathbad said. I wasn't sure it could be you until now; but I know that it is."
Rohan placed his sword in front of him just as Xena had done.
"Battle Fury!" He cried, and the Dragon Torch appeared in his hands, his armor doubling on itself.
"We're equally matched, sister," he told Xena as she ran her hands along the torch and the bulky shoulder-pads of his battle fury armor. "Draganta is complete...with you at his side. No longer will I doubt that I am truly Draganta."
Xena smiled at him.
"There's one way I can assure myself that this is true," she told him, holding her sword high in the air. Her armor dissolved back into nothingness, and she sheathed the sword once more. Rohan did the same, running his fingers through his hair. Xena studied her brother's face warily.
"The mark of destiny. The priestess in Sparta told me that I would know my family by the mark we all bear; the brand that chose our destiny for us."
She moved the arm-band on her right arm up a little, exposing a small brownish birthmark just above the elbow.
It was there...the mark of destiny.
Angus left on his quest to find Bridie before the knights could return to the throne-room and tell Cathbad and the king the wonderful news. His goodbyes were swift, just as easygoing as he usually was; but inside it was tearing him apart to leave the only home he'd ever known.
When he reached the last hill before entering the Valley of Dragons, where the caves of Dare lay, Angus turned to gaze one last time on the distant castle that had been his home for nearly all his life. Taking a deep breath, Angus closed his eyes and continued onward to the caves. If he had a dragon he was going to use him to get to Rome. From all Fin Varra had said of the land, it was far away and dangerous. Terran might come in handy in more ways than one.
"Terran, I need to ask you a favor," Angus said. "I need to go to Rome. Bridie's there, and I have to save her if I can."
"And you want me to take you, is that it?"
"Well, yeah...if it's not too much of a bother."
Terran stretched upward and outward to his full height, spreading his wings down to form a sort of ramp upon which Angus could crawl up on his back.
"I'll take you, knight, since I can sense how strong your love for her is. Come...let us hurry. There is no time to spare..."
"It is true, your majesty," Xena said, kneeling before King Conchobar. She stood, her hand reaching up to hold the shoulder-strap of her sword in the exact same manner Rohan's was at that very moment, although neither of them realized it. "I am the sister of Rohan and the warrior Draganta; Warrior Princess of the Telequire Nation in Greece. I have come as summoned by Cathbad's vision. And since we now know of my true destiny...to be that part which makes Draganta whole...my life and my sword are yours to command."
Cathbad nodded. "She speaks the truth. I should have known why she was able to receive my vision; the link which binds these two is very strong indeed; but she is not like Bridie at all."
Rohan looked concerned and stepped forward to stand near Xena, who glanced at him before once again meeting the king's gaze. It was as though Conchobar were trying to see into her very soul.
Cathbad continued. I sense a dark place within her that cannot be reached...a hidden past. But her intentions are good. She is the answer to our prayers.
Deirdre placed her hand on her father's arm, turning to study him.
"Father, shall I show the princess to her permanent quarters?"
Conchobar seemed slightly out of sorts, his mind somewhere else as he nodded to his daughter.
"Yes...yes, by all means. Make sure she's comfortable, Deirdre."
"Of course, father," Deirdre replied. She smiled at Xena, and the Amazon followed the young Irish princess out of the throne-room, away from the all-knowing eyes of the king.
"She ran off two days ago, Cheiron," Hercules explained to the master of the academy as the two of them polished the swords for evening practice. "She didn't say where she was going or anything; she just left."
Cheiron glanced at the young warrior, laying the silver blade on the table with the others and wiping his hands clean. His tail swished nervously; Xena was one of his best cadets, strongest warriors...but what if...?
"Perhaps there really was an emergency at home, Hercules," he said. "Xena is very impulsive, and sometimes acts rashly, but she has what the centaurs call the second sight. The same as the gift I gave to you in that talisman; only it's inside her. She knows when something is wrong."
"Yeah, but if she'd told us what was wrong, maybe we could have gone with her. Helped her."
"Perhaps she didn't want your help. If there is something she wants to keep hidden, from you or her other friends, you should not force the issue."
Hercules still couldn't shake off his fears. He shrugged helplessly, studying the sword in his hand.
"She could be hurt, Cheiron," he said. He took a deep breath and set the sword down beside its brothers. "I just can't shake the feeling that she needs help; wherever she is."
"Hercules!"
The young man and the teacher both turned to watch Lilith running through the door, Iolaus, Jason, and Theseus hot on her heels.
"Herc; Cheiron...we found this note on Xena's sleeping mat," Iolaus said as Lilith passed Cheiron the semi-wrinkled scroll. The centaur removed the black ribbon tied around the paper and read, his brow furrowing in thought. He glanced up, but did not look at the cadets; who all waited for his judgement.
"Well..." Jason asked, studying Cheiron's face. The centaur gazed down at the king of Corinth.
"Hercules was right," he said finally. "Xena needs your help."
"Where has she gone?" Lilith asked, fearing she already knew.
"To Ireland; the place of her birth. She tells me that she received a vision, that her people needed her. If she has gone there, many things both good and ill might happen."
Cheiron gave the scroll to Hercules. "Here," he said, "there's a map. I believe she wants you to follow her. I will give you all an indefinate break. As soon as you find her, bring her back. Ireland is not her home any longer; but you must bring her back before she learns this for herself. Hurry, Hercules."
"Mom's expecting me home this weekend," Herc added as an afterthought. Cheiron grinned and shook his head.
"I will take care of that for you."
Herc smiled, shaking the scroll at his teacher. "Thank you, sir." He said, and hurried off with his fellow cadets to gather the supplies neccesary for their journey.
"My king," said Commander Uaan, bowing as he entered the throne-room, "there's a woman here who insists upon seeing Prince Garrett."
Conchobar motioned that the girl be brought in, and Garrett stood from his place at the table, pushing his trencher aside as he took several paces toward the door.
A young woman in a light blue cloak and hood entered the throne-room, Uaan hot on her tail.
Garrett's eyes narrowed as he searched within the hood for signs of a face; then the girl lifted her hands, moving the cloth from her head, and smiled at Garrett, who grinned and raced forward, scooping the smallish girl up in his arms and whirling her around with him.
"Garrett! By Dagda, it's been so long since we've seen you! How are you?" The girl said in a rush as Garrett put her down. She brushed a strand of long blond hair behind one ear as she noticed, for the first time, the group of people in the throne-room with Garrett.
"I'm fine. Yourself? And father? Mother?"
The girl motioned to the king and knights, and Garrett turned, blushing ear to ear.
"Umm...forgive me, your highness," he said, taking the woman's hand and pulling her forward. "This is my sister, Gabrielle."
The girl curtsied before the one she assumed was the king, a handsome man with a brown and grey beard...young but rapidly aging.
"Garrett," she said, "father is ill, and mother's not far behind. I was sent after you; you should be there if...when...he passes on. You must claim your crown."
Garrett's face turned more pale than Cathbad's beard, and he fished behind him for a chair that was quickly given to him.
"Father's...dying? He really is?"
Gabrielle nodded, turning her gaze upward to study the others at the table. As though for the first time she noticed the great resemblance among some of those seated there, but waited before all the introductions were made before beginning to pass judgement upon each of them in turn. The one called Rohan was big, burly...and reminded her not a little of her father. The Queen Maeve and the young girl Xena looked very much alike...and the one called Angus had similar looks about him. Deirdre looked quite a great deal like Rohan...it made Gabrielle wonder for a moment if they shared the same father. Or mother. Something to ponder...
"Garrett, you must come as soon as you are able; I need help with our parents, and there are wars breaking out among the people."
"War is a commonplace occurence, Princess Gabrielle," Xena stated softly, drumming her long fingers on the table as she slowly glanced up into the girl's blue eyes. "And peace only a dream."
"I don't agree with you," Gabrielle said, her voice equally as soft. "Peace IS something we all hope for, dream for," she said, "but it is also something that every country and its people should plan on. It's what lives are built upon, and what people live for. Peace is not a dream, Princess Xena. It's a reality."
"Maybe in your mind, Gabrielle, but not in the reality that is Eire. We all wish for peace...after all, that is what Draganta is here for...but it will not come by talking and thinking about it. Only by actions will peace be achieved."
Gabrielle looked down, then at her brother.
"If you please, I think I'll go for a walk in the courtyard. Alone," she added as Ivar, Rohan, and Garrett stood to go with her.
Not long after Gabrielle left, Xena stood, excusing herself and saying she was going to retire to her room shortly. In reality, the warrior princess took off after Gabrielle; realizing she had been rude by saying what she had to the girl...who couldn't be more than fourteen years old, still innocent of the ways of the world, still a child herself...
Xena caught up with Gabrielle just outside the castle gates.
"Hey;" she said, trotting up to the girl. "I thought you were just going to walk around the courtyard a bit?"
Gabrielle shook her head.
"No," she said, looking down at her hands, "I lied. I just didn't want my brother chasing after me."
Xena nodded.
"Oh."
The two of them walked in silence for a while, then Xena placed her hand on Gabrielle's shoulder, stopping her and making her turn and look at Xena.
"Look, I...I know that some of the things I said were...mean. Cruel and meant for hurting you, but...you're such an infuriating girl."
"You barely know me..."
"I know," Xena said, rolling her eyes and shifting her weight to her other foot. "I know that, Gabrielle, but I've never known anyone who believed so...passionately...in peace. In love. All my life I was taught that war was good for the right reasons...and I've never known anyone who made war for the wrong reasons. There's always been...something that the other side belived in, something that I could see in us too. But no one has ever believed in peace so much that they actually made me want to believe it too. Until you. Tonight, in that throne-room. And I...I just would like to thank you for that, Gabrielle. I want to thank you for making me believe in something I thought I'd lost faith in."
Gabrielle wiped a tear from her eye and smiled, choking back the lump in her throat. She offered her arm to Xena.
"Friends?"
Xena looked at the arm, grasped it, and smiled, nodding.
"For life," she replied, and she felt somewhere deep in her heart that it was true. Suddenly she felt a question gnawing at her, and couldn't resist asking... "How old are you, kid?"
Gabrielle smiled. "I'm twelve," she said. "But I feel so much older. Taking care of my older brother, our parents...even our sister until she married...it's made life long and hard for me."
Xena nodded again.
"I understand," she said. Xena looked up at the darkening sky. "We'd better turn back now, little peace-monger," she muttered, laughter in her voice as she wrapped her arm around Gabrielle's shoulders. "Wouldn't want our older brothers to start worrying, now, would we?"
Gabrielle shook her head, and the two new friends hurried back to the safety of the castle...never realizing that Uaan had been watching them from the edge of the forest, or that Conchobar had been spying on them from the window of his private chambers. Each man wanting a different woman, yet neither of them sure if they should try to court them. One seemed too young, the other too...mysterious...to get involved with.
Iolaus gnawed on a blade of grass as the four cadets travelled across Greece in hopes of finding an open port.
"What I don't get is why she wouldn't want to tell anyone," he said. "I mean, especially us, right, I mean...we're her pals. Her buddies. Her blood-brothers..."
"Yeah; whatever," Lilith said, punching Iolaus playfully on the shoulder.
"I don't think it's that easy," Hercules said. "I mean...well, you guys know how I get when I hear the name Zeus, right? You know...Castor and Pollux, Lucius...I could go on and on and on...nevermind. Maybe she's got family in Ireland that she doesn't want us to know about."
"Xena? Warrior Princess and Cyane's one and only heir? Have a real-life family somewhere?" Jason said. "Nah...impossible."
"Well;" Lilith began, then paused. Herc nudged her and nodded that she should go on.
"Well, a few months back, before Xena and I came back to the academy, this woman came to our camp. She was a seer, she said, and told us her name was Numaine. She revealed this weird birthmark on Xena's right arm, called it the Mark of Destiny; and told Xena that it would lead her to her family. Xena began believing everything Numaine told her; especially after some of her prophecies started coming true."
Hercules glanced at Lilith, stopping dead in his tracks.
"Whoa," he said, putting an arm out to stop her. "What do you mean, 'prophecies'?"
Lilith shrugged. I don't know. Numaine told us that a foreigner would come to destroy us, as a retribution for the slaughter of his brother; only none of the Amazons in our area had committed the murder. When he showed up, Numaine said that Xena would give him the mark of Dahak; and she did. In the heat of battle, Xena took out her dagger and sliced Borias' cheek with the tip. The prophecy had been fulfilled."
"Borias?" Hercules said, glancing at Iolaus. The young half-god closed his eyes and sagged against a tree. Jason reached out one hand, placing it on his friend's shoulder.
"Are you alright, Herc?" He asked.
"Yeah; yeah, I'm fine. I just...I know that name somehow."
Iolaus nodded sarcastically. "Maybe it's another one of your brothers, huh?"
"Maybe," was all Hercules said. "Maybe."
Lilith glanced from one man to the other, finally shaking her head, picking up her knapsack again and continuing down the dusty road.
"Come on; our only hope to make this a short trip is to get a boat before sunset. We'd better hurry; enough time's been wasted already."
Hercules nodded.
"When we get there, I think we should go to Kells. I know some of the people there; and the kingmight be willing to help us find Xena," he said. His friends agreed, although they had no idea what he was talking about, and the four cadets from Cheiron's Academy and the King of Corinth raced onward in their flight to Ireland; hoping to reach her shores within a week and rescue their friend from the jaws of danger...
