Youthful Intuition

by Nikki Bryn

Xena and Gabrielle take under their wing a troubled young Amazon.

1. Trust and Betrayal

1 Youthful Intuition

1.1 Chapter 1—Paradise Lost

Xena reined Argo and looked at Gabrielle, her breaths coming out in small puffs of steam as she waited for the bard to catch up. "I'm telling you, there's no way this is going to work, Gab," called the warrior, looking at her sundial.

Gabrielle trotted up next to her warrior, also stopping her horse with, but with more than some effort. "Just because I haven't exactly got this horse- thing down doesn't mean it won't work, Xena."

The warrior scoffed indignantly. "We've been set back three days from our travels. Now, I know Varia isn't going to like this and an Amazon scorned is—"

"That's Queen Varia to you, lady," said a voice from the trees. "And don't degrade Amazons that hold grudges."

Gabrielle looked up into the playful young face of Varia. "Hello there! We hear you have a warrior for us to meet."

Varia lowered herself halfway down the tree she was perched in…upside down. "Not just meet. I want you to see if you can beat her in sparring, Xena," said the queen with a grin.

Xena raised an eyebrow. "You think she'll beat me? How old is this warrior?" she asked, craning her neck so that Varia wasn't upside down anymore.

The Amazon dropped from the tree with an audible grunt. "She's fourteen, o Slayer of Gods."



"Fourteen? What kind of joke is this?" boomed Xena as she paced in Varia's quarters. "You're saying you want me to go out there and try to beat the crap out of a child? I know I beat your ass, but this is just--"

"She's not a child," argued Varia. "She's been made an outcast by her age- mates, but girls that are a good three or four years older than the girl accept her without a second thought."

"What's her name?" asked Xena, rubbing her face with her hands.

"Her name's Lydia. She came to us from a traveling merchant who found her abandoned on the side of the road."

Xena shook her head. "I'll ask Gabrielle what she thinks. And please don't surround our hut with guards like you did last time."

The Amazon chuckled. "They still haven't recovered from the sounds at night coming from inside."

Xena growled something unintelligible and exited the queen's hut.



"Hey! Hey, Xena!" called a voice as the warrior walked towards her and Gabrielle's hut.

Xena turned around and saw…the top of someone's head. She looked down and saw a girl no taller than Gabrielle. "Um, who are you?" asked Xena.

The adolescent was at least an inch shorter than Gabrielle, with dark brown hair and eyes to match. Her facial features represented that of a woman from Japa, but her skin was too light and her eyes didn't have quite the right shape. In her hand she had a long, black metal staff with four feathers hanging off the end. She wore a dark brown leather tube-top with a skirt that matched Varia's and knee-high traveling boots. She also had a ring on her navel.

"My name is Lydia. I want that sparring match with you and you better not be a coward and back out of it," said the Amazon defiantly. "I know where you live." She turned and walked away with her head held high.

The warrior stuck her tongue in her cheek. Riiiight… let's just see what this girl thinks she can do, thought to herself. She then picked up a clod of dirt and hurled it at Lydia.

At first it seemed like the girl was going to get hit in the back of the head with the clod, but at the last moment she turned around and hit the dirt with her staff. It went flying back and hit… Xena.

Square in the face.

Xena counted to one hundred forwards and backwards before wiping the dirt from her eyes and looking around. "She's gonna get it. Ooh, she's asking for it," muttered the warrior as she stomped off toward her hut.



Lydia laughed and gave a high-five to her friends. "She asked for it and she got it!" said the girl, clasping wrists with her best friend, Ling. "I knew the Warrior Princess's ego would make her pull a stunt like that."

"You are so gonna get it, Lydia," warned one of her other friends, Tavi. Some of the others nodded in agreement.

"Tavi, Tavi, Tavi, do you remember the beating I gave our dear queen a few weeks back? I don't think Xena's gonna be that much harder to throttle, given her temperament. She only, what, killed all the Olympian gods? Like it'll be hard to beat her," said Lydia as she sat at a table in their house, the House of the High Sun. "The Olympians were wimps."

"You underestimate our visitor, slut," said a voice from the door.

Lydia rolled her eyes and turned around. "Gina, how nice to see you. I was wondering just when you'd keel over and die. Could you give us an exact date so we can schedule a celebration?"

There was a chorus of 'oohs' from Lydia's circle of friends.

Gina shifted her weight uncomfortably, her friends glaring at Lydia's. "Well, little, and I do mean little, Miss I'm-Just-Asking-For-It, how about we make a wager? You seem cocky enough to want to make bets."

Lydia motioned her friends to make room for Gina to enter. She gestured to a chair and Gina sat, the two ring-leaders positively glaring knives at each other. "What kind of wager would this be?" asked the shorter girl in half-hearted interest. She played with a dark lock of her short hair.

"Two hundred dinars of collection money from other bets around the village. You win, you get the money. You lose, we get the money. We've taken up bets and this is all we can spare."

"You mean people actually trust you with their money, Gina?" asked Lydia sarcastically. "You must've made quite a profit…but to make things a little more interesting, add in three months of free chores and we have a deal." She looked to her friends for support, which they gave gleefully. Two hundred dinars and three months of no work was just too much to pass up.

Gina thoughtfully fingered her skimpy leathers. "Deal." They shook hands, squeezing each other's knuckles a little harder than called for.

"And Gina, if I ever catch your ugly mug in my House again, I'll kill ya," said Lydia with a teasing wave. "You shouldn't be hanging out the older Amazons, anyway. Buh-bye, yeah."

The taller girl snarled at her, but left without protest.

"She is so gonna slit your throat!" said Jessie, Lydia's tallest friend and eldest girl in the House of the High Sun. They clasped forearms and began squealing in anticipation.



Xena stormed into her and Gabrielle's hut, right past the bard, and into the bathroom, angrily slamming the door behind her with a loud 'BOOM!'. The bard furrowed her brow, then set down her tea. "Xena?" she called, going over to the bathroom door and knocking on it a few times. "Xe, you okay? And why're you covered in dirt?"

"Teenagers! No respect for their elders! I'm glad we missed that part of Eve's life!" boomed the warrior as she poured water for her bath. "How does Varia stand it?"

"Um, Xena, Varia's only nineteen. So, technically, she's a teenager, too," reminded Gabrielle as she rattled the doorknob. "Open the door."

Xena angrily threw the door open, then stomped back over to her bath. "Varia is twenty-three, o inaccurate one," pointed out the warrior.

"I knew that."

"What's the youth coming to these days? I never threw dirt in the faces of my elders!"

"No, you just killed them."

The warrior stopped her ranting for a moment. "Okay, bad example, but I know for a fact that you never disobeyed your elders, Gabrielle!" she said, slipping into the water.

Gabrielle chuckled and moved behind her warrior. "Just calm down, Xe. If you really want to teach her a lesson then why not have this sparring match? Humiliation is the best way to break a bad attitude." She began to rub the warrior's shoulders. "I know that first hand."

"Mm, that would be a good idea, but from what Varia says, I think she's really good. What if I'm the one who gets humiliated instead of her?"

"Well… you could always wear a papyrus bag over your head every time we come here," teased the bard.

"Hardy-har-har…But I can't turn down a fight. I'm a warrior, and I don't like running away from a fight. Not to mention she called me a coward," said Xena in a matter-of-factly tone. "So after this I'm gonna go tell Varia that…I accept Lydia's challenge!"

Gabrielle smiled. "I love it when you get all worked up like this," said the bard, lightly kissing her warrior on the lips.



Dinars were going from side to side the entire day as the Amazons prepared for the big battle, which would be their dinner entertainment that evening. The younger girls were assigned to gathering wood for the giant bonfire they would have, while the older girls were set to the task of babysitting the toddlers and infants. Many of the teenage Amazons whom were not needed for babysitting were setting up tables and chairs, while the women and elders of the village cooked the feast.

"I can't believe you're actually doing this," said Ling as she held up a piece of wood so Lydia could nail it to another piece, which Rita was holding.

"Why not? It's just another challenge. Give me a bigger hammer," said Lydia, holding out her hand. She was lying on her back, looking up at the two slabs of wood she was putting together.

"Because she's the best warrior in all of Greece, Thrace, Macedonia, Rome, Sparta, Indus, Crete, Chin, Japa, and--"

"Okay, I get your point, Ling," interrupted Lydia. She craned her neck to look at Rita, who was fishing around for a hammer. "Is it in there?"

"Yeah, here," replied the red-headed girl as she handed it to Lydia. Rita was the 'beauty queen' of the House of the High Sun, always worried about breaking her nails and messing up her curly strawberry blonde hair.

"Thanks…but really, Ling, I don't think you should worry. What's she gonna do, kill me?"

"No, I just really don't want double chore duty!" protested Ling. "And two hundred dinars is enough to buy us all our own personal huts!"

BOOM! Lydia hammered the nail into the wood. "Well, if I lose-" BOOM! "- I'll make it up to all of you. I have the favor of the queen, and who knows what I can get." BOOM!

"You better not lose, for the sake of our pride!" said Rita, handing her friend a nail.



"If she loses, you'll really gain respect," said Gabrielle as she stirred some beef stew.

Xena grunted in reply as she cut some bread into slices. At Gabrielle's request, the warrior had been forbidden to cook, for fear she would poison and kill the entire village. "Why am I doing this? I should be trying to work off some of this tension," the warrior said impatiently.

Gabrielle chuckled as she watched Xena chop the bread. "Um, I think you're handling that pretty well by creating bread crumbs."

The warrior looked down at the bread, which had been cut into little tiny pieces, and chuckled nervously. "How come this is bothering me so much? She's just another adversary."

"Who happens to be forty-six years younger than you, Xe," reminded the bard.

"Oh, you make me sound old," protested Xena, picking up a new loaf of bread.

"Just in years. You're still the same old warrior you were…twenty-seven years ago," said Gabrielle with a chuckle and a shake of her head. That sounded too weird.

Xena sighed in defeat as she pushed away her current loaf of bread and got a new one. "What if I lose?" she asked in an uncertain tone.

Gabrielle laughed. "Pray for the sake of your reputation that you don't."



Lydia rolled her shoulders as she paced back and forth in front of her bunk. She moved her arms back and forth to stretch them out. "I can do this, I can do this. She's just another challenge, nothing out of the ordinary," said the girl to herself as finished stretching.

"Hey, Ly'," said a voice from the door.

Lydia looked up as she began to wrap her wrists and knuckles with shredded fabric. "Oh, hey Ling. Anticipation too much for ya?"

The other girl laughed but shook her head. "No. Just come to with you good luck. Not every day my best friend takes on the greatest warrior in the world." She took a seat next to her friend.

"Well, Queen Varia said her ego needed a good throttling, so I guess I'll do it. I know Varia can't, she's already lost to Xena like three times. Hand me that?"

Ling picked up another roll of fabric and handed it to Lydia. "Are you sure you want to do this? Your age-mates will only find another way to humiliate you even if you win."

"Yes, but my age-mates are bitches. That's why I moved into this House," said Lydia as she tied off the wrapping on her wrists. "They didn't except me because I'm different, and you know how it feels."

"True…but anyway, if you lose I'll throttle you myself," warned Ling as she hugged the shorter girl.

Lydia laughed as she hugged her back. "Yeah, yeah, yeah…"



Xena rolled her head on her shoulders a few times before standing up and accepting a staff from the Amazon Royal Guards assigned to her. "Let's do this," said the warrior solemnly as she went out into the village square.

All the Amazons were seated in a giant semi-circle around an arena. They had tables that were curved to fit more women into less room. In the front, the Amazons were sitting on their butts or laying flat on their stomachs. In the back, they were sitting on stools that were at least four feet high so that no one was robbed of a good view. Their food was already set out, but no one was allowed to eat until the queen said they could begin.

When Xena stepped out of her hut, the indistinct chatter that had been going on dissipated. It was totally silent as she made her way into the middle of the arena. Her blue eyes scanned the audience and finally found who she was looking for: Gabrielle. The warrior winked at her bard and twirled her staff skillfully.

Gabrielle took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. "It's just a fight… it's just another fight from an ambitious teenager…" the bard reminded herself. She's gonna regret this in the morning.

Xena considered the silence for a moment. Was this respect? Was this anticipation? Was this fear? Could it even be sympathy? She gulped down the lump in her throat. Maybe this Lydia girl— The warrior froze. Speak of the devil…

Lydia exited the House of the High Sun and a loud cheer broke out from the Amazons. The girl grinned as the entered the arena, obviously enjoying the attention she was getting. Xena looked over at a particular group of girls, who were standing on their chairs and screaming louder than anyone else. Then there was that group of girls who were simply scowling.

"You ready for this, Xena?" asked Lydia, turning to the tall woman.

"I was born ready," replied the warrior out of the side of her mouth.

Varia stood and the cheering stopped, minus a small "GO GIRL!" that came out after everyone had silenced, which elicited laughter from some of the older Amazons. The Amazon Queen simply grinned and shook her head. "Raise the walls!" she commanded.

Xena turned around in circles as a glass-like wall began to surround the arena. She touched it as it went up and felt its unusually smooth texture. "What is that?"

"It's a miracle substance made from mixing oil with several other things. Most of my physicians call it 'plastic'," replied the Queen with a smile. "But to the task at hand. Amazons! Today we witness the match between Lydia, the best staffswoman I have ever seen, and Xena: Warrior Princess, perhaps the most powerful warrior in the world. Begin your feast…and let the games begin!"

A murmur arose throughout the crowd as Xena turned to face Lydia. "Do they expect this match to last that long?"

Lydia simply replied, "They expect to be spitting food for all the cheering they're gonna do."

Tavi stepped up to the glass. "Let's keep it clean, ladies…no wanton bloodshed, no hair-pulling, no spitting, and no foul hits. Warriors, set!" She waited for Xena and Lydia to get into their battle stances.

Xena looked into Lydia's eyes solemnly. The girl simply winked back.

"Warriors…begin!"

More cheering started, half the audience yelling "Xe-na! Xe-na! Xe-na!" and the other half yelling "Ly-di-a! Ly-di-a!"

Xena lashed out at Lydia, their staffs coming together with a loud 'boom!'. The warrior looked down at the staffs and realized that they both were made of metal. "Oh, this is gonna hurt," she said to no one in particular.

Lydia pushed her adversary away, knocking Xena to the ground. "What? No tolerance for pain?" asked the girl as she began to try and stomp on the older woman's fingers.

"No fair!" yelled Xena as she jumped up, staff grasped tightly in her left hand. She swung for the adolescent's feet, but Lydia vaulted into the air and landed behind Xena. The young girl chuckled, then delivered a blow to Xena's shoulder guards that sent her toppling to the ground.

"Come on, Xena, get off the ground!" said Lydia, her excitement growing. She once again tried to stomp on the older warrior's fingers, but only succeeded in squishing the sand beneath her feet. Xena tried to hit Lydia's midsection, but failed as Lydia flipped out of the way.

"You're beginning to get on my nerves, Girlie," hissed Xena as she chased after Lydia. She swung her staff out. Lydia turned around as she jumped, sailing through the air backwards as she blocked Xena's staff. The clang from the collision of their staffs echoed off the walls.

Gabrielle crumbled her bread between her fingers over and over again.

"Nervous?"

The bard jumped at Varia's voice. "No. No, I'm not nervous. Why would you ask if that? I know Xena will win. She always does. So why should I be nervous? I can't believe you can even ask if I'm nervous. I'm not. I promise, I'm not nervous."

Varia eyed her fellow queen with a chuckle. "Whatever you say, Gabrielle."

Xena held her staff horizontal as Lydia's came down on hers vertical. They locked eyes in that position, deep brown meeting fiery blue. For a moment Xena thought she saw a flash of pain, then those brown eyes only showed battle lust. Lydia was the first to recover from the stare, throwing Xena down to the floor with one strong shove.

The warrior quickly rolled out of the way before her young opponent could pounce. She turned around and gave Lydia a hard knock to her jaw, sending the girl spiraling to the ground.

Lydia flipped her hair out of her face and touched a hand to her busted lip. "That's gonna bruise," she said to herself as she jumped to her feet. She wiped her blood on her dark leathers and ran at her opponent.

Xena ducked Lydia's staff and hit the girl again, this time with her fist across the cheek and eye, which sent Lydia once again sprawling on the floor. What she didn't expect was for the girl to recover so quickly from her hit. Lydia vaulted to her feet and looked at Xena with a snarl.

"You gonna be okay?" asked the warrior.

"Just fine, thanks." She dodged Xena's staff. "Can't you catch me, Xena?" said the girl, dodging swing after swing.

Xena was amazed at this girl's agility. Lydia seemed to be using godly powers as she moved from one spot to another with lightning speed. The older warrior tried with all her might to hit the girl, then came up with an idea. She faked left and drove right, directly at Lydia. The girl turned and ran up the wall to prevent getting tackled. Her feet swallowed up the air and she flipped behind Xena. With one hard swipe, she sent Xena to the ground.

"Getting old, Xena?"

"Nope." Xena began a contest of speed with the girl, running in circles around the arena. They went faster and faster until Lydia did something Xena had only seen once before. Lydia hurled herself into the wall and began to run across it, literally. Her head hanging parallel with the floor, she began to circle Xena, running with her fingers scraping the wall. She picked up breathtaking speed, then, when she had Xena dizzy, she pounced.

"Oof!" said Xena as she went down.

Lydia poked her staff into Xena's neck, right where she could feel the blood surging under the skin.

"Submit."

Xena, seeing as this was a lose-lose situation for her, reluctantly said, "I submit."

Instead of the cheer Xena was expecting to hear, it was totally silent. The tall warrior looked around at the gaping mouths of the Amazons. But, as they all looked at her, she didn't feel any shame. She felt wonderful! What a battle!

Lydia gave Xena a hand up. Xena stared at the girl's callused fingers and at the dark scar, shaped like a half-moon, on her palm. Shaking her curiosity from her head, she accepted Lydia's hand.

Now the cheers began, but not all of them were for Lydia. Women were cheering for Xena as well for being so gracious as to accept this challenge, even though she lost. The goblets and platters on the table positively shook with the booming applause, seemingly as loud as thunder.

Lydia pulled Xena to her feet with a grin. "That was fun. Shall we do it again some time?" she asked as they clasped wrists.

Xena laughed and patted the girl on the back as the walls were lowered and they exited the sandy arena. "I'm not so sure about that, Lydia. Gabrielle's gonna have my hide as it is," said the warrior as she limped over to her bard.

Gabrielle was positively fuming, hands on hips and steam billowing from her ears. The green-eyed monster was baaaaaack. "Xena! You hit her?! She's just a girl for crying out loud! You don't have a scratch on you!"

Xena rolled her eyes as she accepted a mug of water. "All this nagging. I lost, Gabrielle!"

"Yeah…and just when I thought I couldn't love you anymore I do," said the bard, hugging her warrior close. "I seriously thought you were going not accept her hand, but how could I think that?"

The warrior laughed and kissed Gabrielle's head. "Too much time around the baddies, that's what it is."



Later that night, Xena heard sounds coming from the training area. She disentangled herself from Gabrielle's arms and legs and stood. The bard moaned in protest, but Xena quickly gave her a pillow to hug as a substitute for the time being.

She pulled on a tunic and trousers then headed out towards the training field.



WHAM! Lydia gave the punching bag one good kick then continued her assault of quick, fast swings. One, two, three…one two three…she thought silently to herself. Xena stopped at the fence and watched Lydia beat the beans out of the training bag. Lydia finished with one last jump kick, lifting her body three feet off the ground as she kicked the bag so hard it broke from its ropes and hit the ground with a loud 'thud'. Dust blew out from the ends of it, filling the air and making Lydia cough a few times. "Ah, damn it."

Xena began to clap slowly as she approached the girl. "Good job. Never quite seen it done that way, but it was good," said the warrior as she stopped walking.

The girl wiped the side of her face with the back of her hand before picking up the now-half-empty punching bag. "That…was not supposed to happen," she said, holding it up and examining it carefully.

"Oh really? Well, judging by the force of that kick I'd say I'd hate to be the sand inside that thing," said Xena with a chuckle. "Where'd you learn to train like that?"

"Traveling mercenary came through here two years ago. He was captured and held in prison to await Queen Margot's decision on his life. I was set to guard him with a few of my friends. He requested a training bag and when we wanted to know what he was going to do with it he agreed to teach us. The other girls weren't interested in a man's training techniques so I was the only one who learned," said Lydia as she began to dump sand back into the punching bag.

"You mean you learned that when you were twelve?"

"Yeah, so?" asked the girl with a shrug.

Xena scratched her chin thoughtfully. "You're a busy-body, aren't you? After a fight like that I suggest getting a good night's sleep and then a nice, warm bath the next morning."

Lydia chuckled. "Sleep? I don't sleep."

"Well, why not?" asked Xena, sitting on a stump and motioning for Lydia to do the same.

"Because of the nightmares," said Lydia as she sat across from Xena. She lowered her dark brown eyes to her toes almost guiltily.

"Why the long face? What kind of nightmares are these? Maybe I can help you out."

Lydia sighed and leaned back, causing the light of the moon to spill onto her bruised face. Her eye was swollen, her cheek turning black, and the cut on her lip wasn't exactly gorgeous, either.

"Ooh, that looks painful. Sorry 'bout that," said Xena, examining the girl's wound with a healer's trained eye. "You put any cold compresses on those?"

"Yeah. I also got some antibacterial stuff for the cut. How's your leg?"

"Why'd you ask?"

"Didn't know you could run that fast."

Xena chuckled. "Neither did I," replied the warrior, leaning back in her chair. "Now, back to the nightmares. What are they like?"

Lydia shrugged.

"Un-uh, don't play that game with me. What happens in your dreams to make them nightmares?" asked the warrior sternly. She hoped she didn't have to put the Pinch on this girl.

"They're more like memories… horrible memories. First, I'm being carried by someone as they run through the forest. Whoever is carrying me is facing away, and I'm looking over their shoulder at these soldiers chase us. Suddenly my carrier falls and the men surround us. One grabs me and throws me into the bushes, where I peek through the leaves. They raise their sword and behead two people, one that was carrying me and one that was running ahead of us."

Xena waited for the girl to continue, but when she didn't the warrior said, "Then what happens?"

Lydia sighed before resuming, "The man who threw me into the bushes comes over and picks me back up, then begins to beat me. I swear I can feel his hands and feet hitting me over and over again… then I wake up, usually screaming and in a cold sweat."

"Do your friends help you with this?"

"That's how I got moved to the next House. All my age-mates didn't give a damn about me and the nightmares…and when Varia saw that the House of the High Sun girls came over every night when they heard me screaming…she moved me there to save them a trip."

Xena thought this over, her curiosity growing for the reason she had been made an outcast by her peers. "Why do your peers not like you?"

Lydia felt like a five-year-old talking to a concerned teacher. "They call me 'mutt' and 'mix-breed'…The healer said that she was almost totally sure that my mother was from Japa and my father from Rome. I've never been accepted because of that."

The older woman lowered her eyes, feeling a wave of sympathy for this girl. "So you pass the time by beating up beanbags?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

And she wasn't disappointed. Lydia chuckled a bit, letting the smile linger on her lips. "Not exactly. This is just my way to get rid of post-battle tension."

"It's not a very safe way, is it?"

"Hey, I would never hit one of my friends. My age-mates, on the other hand…" She punched the bag rather violently, sending more sand flying everywhere.

"Um…that's not the best idea I've heard today. Listen, how about we continue this little discussion tomorrow? Try and get some sleep, huh?" the older warrior suggested sincerely.

Lydia shrugged but then agreed with a nod.

"Good girl," said Xena with a grin. She patted Lydia on the head and stood.

"Don't treat me like a dog," said the young girl as she also rose to her feet.

Xena imitated Lydia's 'shrug but nod' routine. "Oof!" Before Xena knew what had happened, she was on the floor and Lydia was walking away with a satisfied grin on her face. Okay, that was getting annoying.



At breakfast the next morning, Varia joined Xena and Gabrielle at their table. "I hear you had a nice midnight chat with Lydia last night, Xena," said the queen as she began on her eggs.

"She's a troubled one, isn't she?" asked the warrior princess without bothering to answer Varia's statement/question.

"Came to us at age five…the merchant said there was also a young boy she had been holding, but he took the boy with him to raise," said Varia, looking to Gabrielle.

Xena's ears perked up. "You mean she does have a relative that you know of? How come you didn't mention that sooner?"

"Why the sudden interest, Xena?" asked Gabrielle, wiping her soul mate's face with a napkin.

Xena jerked away like a child trying to get away from her mother. "Because she wants to know about her family…she just doesn't want to admit it. Has she ever talked to you about the nightmares she has, Varia?"

Varia shook her head 'no', as her mouth was full of vegetables.

"Well, she says something about being chased through the woods by soldiers, then getting beaten by one of them," said the warrior thoughtfully. She looked at Varia, who was waving her hand in front of her mouth as if trying to speak. "You choking?"

Varia swallowed hard and coughed a few times before replying, "No. I was just going to say that just before she was brought to us, the Hittites raided a nearby village and killed all the adults off, selling the children to harems and slave drivers."

Xena considered this, then looked up as laughing at the back of the room grew louder.

Tavi clasped wrists with Lydia and shook her head. "You are hopeless! What did we tell you about sneaking around the centaur village? Someday they're going to run you through with a spear, step back, and say 'Oops.'"

Lydia shook her head and shrugged. "I'm telling you, if some of those centaurs get a haircut then…Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, can we say 'babe'?" said the short girl, licking her finger and pressing it to her shoulder. "Sizzle. Besides, they'd never get that close to me without my noticing."

Jessie laughed, sipping from her juice mug. "My mother had a centaur after she had me, and she swore to me that it was the most painful thing she had ever gone through."

"Who said I ever planned to have children centaurs? We have a treaty to give the centaurs new brothers every ten years. Now, in ten years I'll only be twenty-four…and that means I won't be old enough to have a centaur, and neither will you. Then, ten years later, we'll already have had daughters and since there is an age limit on women who have already given birth having centaurs… we'll be too old," said Lydia with a sly grin.

The circle of friends all laughed as they realized that Lydia had it all planned out.

Xena curiously turned to Varia. "How old are those girls?"

"Most of them are seventeen or sixteen, but the tall one is eighteen," said Varia as she finished her breakfast. "I told you and she told you, her peers have nothing to do with her. Why don't you and Gabrielle relax instead of beating yourself up over this?" suggested the queen as she left.

Xena groaned and let her head fall to the table. "This world is not working with me!" she said into the wood, causing her mate to chuckle.



Gabrielle gently worked some lavender-scented oil into her lover's shoulders. "Ah, you haven't been this tense in awhile, Love," whispered the bard. "Those teenage hormones finally getting to you? I know Eve still has some of them rolling around in her head."

Xena simply chuckled and closed her eyes.

"Oh come on. Did you hear the way she yelled at you? She even told you to shut up for crying out loud! Tell me that's not teenage hormones," said Gabrielle with a smile. She drove her thumb into Xena's spine to get a response.

"Hey!" protested Xena, jumping at the force. "Fine…fine…whaddya want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me just what the hell is bothering you."

Xena sighed and leaned back into the bard. "I was just thinking. You know, I'm like fifty-nine-years-old and you're what? Forty…eight."

Gabrielle poked Xena in the side. Hard. "That's not what you were thinking about. Xena, tell me, please?" said the bard, poking out her bottom lip.

"Oh…no, don't give me the lip. Don't—okay, fine," said Xena in defeat. "I hate the lip."

"I love the lip!" replied Gabrielle, a little too perkily for Xena.

"I'm not even going to confront the many meanings of that statement," said the warrior, putting a hand to her forehead, which was beginning to throb. "But anyway, do you really want to know what I was thinking about?"

Gabrielle glared at her. "You have five seconds."

"What if we take Lydia away? Try and find her family for her? I know you couldn't have missed the glares she was getting from her peers and even some of the older women of this tribe. She's disrespected because she's considered a minority in this nation. We'll just let her travel with us for a little while, and if nothing turns up we'll take her back."

"You sound like you're talking about renting a pet dog or something."

Xena laughed and kissed Gabrielle's cheek. "Not exactly. More like renting a girl who's two cherries short of a bushel."

"Xena! That was mean!" She smacked her on the arm.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…I just…it's like she's me…at a young age."

A laugh slipped from Gabrielle's lips before she could stop it. She slapped a hand over her mouth, but couldn't contain a smile. "I'm sorry. You? Xena, she's not exactly running around building better gallows."

"Okay, that hurt," said Xena with mock pain.

"Sorry," said Gabrielle, poking out her lip and kissing Xena lightly on the lips. "The image just flashed through my mind and it was funny."

"Besides, I didn't build gallows…I planned beheadings…" said Xena in the nature of a five-year-old child, staring down at her feet guiltily.

That was it. Gabrielle began laughing so hard she found it hard to breathe and fell to the floor with a dull thud. "Ah… ah…Xena…Xena, that's funny!" said the bard, slapping the ground as she tried in vain to use her lungs.

"Obviously," muttered the warrior. "It's not that funny, Gab."

The bard caught her breath and straightened up to try and regain some dignity. "Sorry… I just had a mental image," said Gabrielle as she wiped her eyes free of tears. "Okay, but back to the point at hand."

Xena sighed and slumped on the pallet. "Should we?"

"Trifle with this? I think so."

The warrior laughed and pulled Gabrielle to her. "I knew I loved you for a reason."

"My legs?"

Xena chuckled again and yanked her bard into a searing-hot kiss.



"Hey guys!" called Lydia as she burst into her House.

Ling groaned and looked at the sundial. "It's five in the morning, Lydia, go kick a guy in the crotch or something like that," mumbled the girl, throwing her arm over her eyes.

"No, you have to get up! I am going to travel with Xena and Gabrielle!"

That got the desired effect. All the girls shot bolt-upright in their bunks, each one totally void of sleepiness as they looked at Lydia.

"No way," said Rita, dropping from her top bunk. "They didn't even let Queen Cyane's mother travel with them."

"I'm serious! They just asked me to come with them! Isn't this great? I gotta get packed!" squealed the short girl, barreling towards her bunk and almost running right into Ling. "Whoops, excuse me." She ran over to her item chest and opened it hurriedly.

Tavi bit her lip. "You mean today?"

"Of course today! I wouldn't come barging in here at this hour for nothing!"

"I argue to that statement!" muttered Jessie as she rolled from her bunk and onto the floor, where she proceeded to crawl towards the group.

"After Xena and Gabrielle are finished packing we'll leave for the land of the Hittites. After that we're going to go see her daughter in Indus!" said Lydia excitedly as she threw some extra leathers into a pack.

In all her excitement she didn't notice the sad expressions on her friends' faces. Jessie broke the silence by saying, "We'll all miss ya."

Lydia halted her rush and lowered her eyes guiltily. "Yeah, I'll miss you guys too. How about one more breakfast? Dessert on me?"

"Hell, if it's on you then I'm getting everything and third helpings!" said Jessie with a wide grin.



Lydia lowered her eyes as she finally felt a pang of remorse for leaving her friends. She hugged them all; Tavi, Rita, Jessie, Sabi, Tria, Ling…and the rest of them in a giant group hug before turning to Xena and Gabrielle. "I'm ready."

"Well, get your horse and we'll be on our way," said Xena, pulling on Argo's reins.

"Horse? Did I say something about having just a horse? Ladies, you haven't seen a horse until you've laid eyes on my ride." Lydia gave them an evil grin.



Xena's jaw dropped as Lydia came prancing out of the village stables on a… zebra? "What the hell? You call that a horse?"

"It was taken from its herd as a young foal, and it won't listen to anyone else. Will ya, Neferiti?" said the girl, rubbing the animal's neck. It turned and stuck its tongue out at Xena and Gabrielle, a gesture gone unnoticed by the zebra's mistress.

Gabrielle stepped behind Xena at the sight of those huge flat teeth. "Maybe we should walk?"

Xena laughed and patted her lover's head comfortingly. "Nah. I think zebra stew would be nice if that thing ever touched you or me."



"Dunna, dunna, dunna, dunna, DUN!!!" Lydia hummed to herself, playing an invisible instrument as they rode down the road.

"What're you singing?" asked Gabrielle curiously.

"'Sometimes when I'm alone, I got a view of my own. I pretend I'm someone else, takin' a look at myself. And I'll wonder what I'm thinking. I'll hope I'll be okay. And I'll finally reach the day when everybody sings my song!'" boomed the girl, closing her eyes as she imagined the tune inside her head.

Xena furrowed her brow in confusion. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Dream."

Gabrielle chuckled and clicked her tongue, expecting her horse to go faster, but instead the white steed simply stopped and sent Gabrielle flying to the ground.

"You should've stuck with walking, Gabrielle," said Xena as she dismounted Argo.

"I will not give up! This is an Arabian stallion and I spent twenty dinars on you, ya little--"

Xena stopped Gabrielle before she could say something she would regret. "Maybe we should walk awhile." She grabbed her and Gabrielle's horses' reins. "Lydia, come on!"

Lydia reluctantly dismounted her…zebra and began to walk towards them.

"Don't you need to hold the reins?" asked Gabrielle.

"No. She'll follow me," replied the girl with a wide grin.

Neferiti turned and made a raspberry at Xena, who jumped back in surprise. "If that thing bites me, I'll--"

"Aw, is Neferiti being a bad girl? Come on, be nice to the big bad ex- warlord, huh?" crooned Lydia, grinning as Neferiti gave her a zebra kiss. "Yes, that's right. See, Xena? She wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"She would if it was biting her in the butt…" muttered Xena.



That evening, Xena let Lydia chose the campsite. The girl picked out a nice little clearing between a tight grove of trees that gave them shelter from the wind but allowed them enough room to settle in comfortably.

Gabrielle chuckled at the girl's choice. "She's almost better than you are at this, Xe."

"What else is new?" growled the warrior as she set out her bedroll.

Lydia chuckled as she returned to the campsite with a rabbit. "If I'm not welcome here I'll go sleep in that little one-person cave fifty paces off," suggested the girl with a wide smile.

"Why is sending you off a happy subject?" asked Gabrielle in confusion.

"You two banter like a married couple. But the catch is that you never really fight. And I'm also laughing because Gabrielle's stallion is hitting on my Neferiti."

"Now that's just kinky. Cross-breeding?" said the bard with a shudder.

Lydia shook her head as she prepared the rabbit. "Why exactly did you take me? I'm still a little foggy on why the great Warrior Princess and Battling Bard took a hormonal teenager on a nice little joy ride with them through the throes of the outside world."

"Never heard those words used in the same sentence before," said Gabrielle under her breath. "We took you because we're going to help you find your past, your heritage. I understand a traveling merchant said you had a little brother."

"Yes, yes he did. From what I remember, upon leaving he traveled…southwest of our lands."

Xena scratched her chin. "That means he went to Rome. So that's where we're headed, not the land of the Hittites."



BOOM! Gabrielle jerked out of her sleep as Xena did. They looked at each other in confusion over the sound.

BOOM! It came again, this time followed by a few shorter ones.

Xena rolled her eyes and mouthed, "Lydia." She got up from her bedroll and went towards the sound, which was coming straight from a nearby river.



Lydia, her hands tensed like paddles, blocked and delivered blows to her masked opponent. He returned the favor, using his fists to fight with the girl. They stopped for a moment, their hands and arms locked together. Lydia took the chance to looked up into the eyes of her adversary, who wore a porcelain mask over his face.

He had black eyes that radiated a hatred Lydia had never felt before. It swirled around her soul and darkened it like a shadow, almost to the point of making her dizzy. Before she had time to further her studies of her opponent, he pushed her onto the ground. She jumped to her feet and, their hands moving like lightning, they grasped each other's throats.

Lydia's adversary slammed her into a tree and she kicked him in the stomach, loosening his hold enough so that she began to advance on him. A challenge of strength forming, they pushed at each other's necks while trying hard not to have theirs snapped.

Xena stepped from the clearing of the trees and her eyes flew open in surprise. "Lydia! What the hell are you doing!"

"Trying not to get my neck broken," answered the girl in a choked voice.

"Hey, centaur, pick on someone your own size," purred the warrior dangerously as she drew her sword.

The centaur looked from Xena to Lydia, then he hurled the girl into the river and galloped off before either Xena could react and chase after him. Lydia surfaced with a gasp, brushing her hair from her face as she tried to catch her breath. She began to paddle towards the river as Xena knelt at the water's edge. "Give me your hand," said the taller woman, holding out hers. The Amazon accepted it and Xena helped her from the cold waters. "Not exactly my idea of a morning bath," joked Lydia as she wiped her eyes.

"What do you think you were doing?" scolded Xena as they began back towards camp.

"I was just beating up a tree," she pointed to a nearby oak that had been stripped of bark from the ground to five feet up, "when he came out of nowhere and attacked me. First I was a little stunned to see a centaur so far from the village, but I have heard of this traveling herd that roams from land to land. I had no choice but to fight him. He would've killed me, Xena."

Xena thought this over as they came to camp, where Gabrielle was waiting worriedly.

"Young lady! You dry off before you catch your death of cold!" demanded the bard, holding out a large towel.

Lydia couldn't help but laugh as she accepted it and began to dry herself off. "Sorry. Forgot to take off my leathers before I took my bath, Mother." A smile tweaked at her lip as she waited for a response.

Gabrielle, hands on hips, glared at Xena. She apparently hadn't noticed the title given to her by the young girl. "How come you let this happen?"

"She got in a fight with a centaur, no big deal, Honey," said Xena, playing husband as Lydia played daughter.

Gabrielle suddenly realized the taunting she was getting. Throwing her arms up into the air, she laughed in defeat. "You got me."

They shared a laugh, then Xena picked up a pair of trousers and a tunic. "Here, put this on until your leathers are dry again. I know you won't like them, but it's a pain the butt to have wet leathers."

Lydia caught the outfit as Xena threw it at her. "Not exactly this season's most happenin' style, but I can chill with it," said the girl as she disappeared into the trees.

"Don't get into a fight with any other creatures, okay?" called Xena, turning to Gabrielle. "'This season's most happenin' style' 'I can chill with it'? She has strange lingo."

"Futuristic?" suggested Gabrielle as she stomped out the fire.

"No… just strange."



The first town the came to was a semi-large village named Nassa. Xena went to put the two horses and… zebra in the town stables while Gabrielle and Lydia went to the local tavern to rent out a room.

As they entered the tavern Lydia immediately snorted in disgust at the sight of so many men in one place. "Pigs," muttered the girl as she followed Gabrielle.

The men all looked up and whistled at the two women, some rubbing their crotches. Lydia gave them a disgusted look as she pushed past one and sat in the corner booth back to the wall, Gabrielle following the suit. "Ignore them. Xena and I get it all the time," said the bard as she saw just a flicker of fear in the young girl's brown eyes.

"How do you stand it? They're so…disgusting," said Lydia, looking around the room at the men who were still eyeing them hungrily.

"Just block it out. It's not like they'd touch a girl with a weapon, or an Amazon for that matter."

"I'm fourteen years old, Gabrielle. I don't think that really qualifies as a warrior."

"You beat up Xena."

Lydia considered that as she accepted her drink.

"Thank you. That tattoo…it's Celtic, isn't it?" asked Gabrielle of the waiter.

That caught Lydia's attention and she looked up into the face of their server.

He was a centaur. Lydia's heart jumped into her throat, but then she realized that he wasn't the same one that had attacked her earlier. He had bright blue eyes that caught Lydia's in a stare that sent shivers down her spine. His hair was unruly and dirty blonde, hanging down in braids to his midsection, like all the other centaurs she had seen. But those eyes…Lydia shivered again.

"Hello?" said Gabrielle, waving a hand in front of their faces. "You guys die on me now?"

The centaur tore his eyes from Lydia's and turned to Gabrielle. "Um, no. Sorry. Yes, it is Celtic. I got this tattoo from a Celtic artisan. Excuse me for a moment, will you? Thanks." He quickly cantered off towards the back of the tavern.

Gabrielle looked at Lydia, who was currently hitting herself in the forehead with her palm. "What are you doing now?"

"I think I just swallowed a bug," said Lydia as she continued to smack herself.

Gabrielle laughed and patted her on the back. "Does someone have the hots for a centaur?"

Lydia slammed her hand on the table and glared at Gabrielle. "I don't like him! He's a centaur and he's not even part of the village!"

The bard gave her a look of disbelief. "Oh come on! I'm a girl too, I know that look."

Lydia groaned and let her head fall to the table. "Just don't tell Xena."

"Ha! You admit it!"

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did what?" asked Xena.

Both Gabrielle and Lydia jumped in surprise.

"Pleeease don't do that!" said Lydia, hand over her chest.

"Yes, her poor heart can't take anymore," teased Gabrielle, winking at Xena.

The warrior caught on quickly. "Oh, is there someone that Lydia's heart is skipping beats for? I knew you'd like it to be out of that village and into the real world."

Lydia scowled as their plates were set out before them. She didn't bother looking up into the face of the centaur for fear Xena would notice. "Thank you," she croaked, barely able to keep her eyes glued to the table.

But Xena was no fool. As soon as the centaur was out of earshot she turned to Lydia. "Ooh, he's nice. You have a good eye for men, considering you're an Amazon."

Lydia muttered something unintelligible as she pulled two small sticks from her pocket and began eating with them.

Xena watched curiously. "What're you doing?"

"Eating."

"Since when do you use chopsticks?" asked the warrior in confusion.

"Since I never learned how to use a fork and spoon," replied the girl in a matter-of-factly tone.

Xena looked to Gabrielle with a furrowed brow, but the bard simply shrugged and began to eat her own dinner. Lydia downed her food like no tomorrow, then dropped a few coins on the table and scampered away without so much as a word.

Gabrielle shook her head. "She's scared, Xena."

"Why'd you say that? She doesn't seem that way to me."

"She's never seen men up close before. She's scared of them. I don't doubt she's heard of her sisters getting sold into harems and such," said the bard as she sipped from her goblet.

Xena nodded in understanding. "Well, let's finish up and go enjoy our room. I trust you got the teenager her own room?"

"Of course I did," replied Gabrielle with a sly grin.

"Mmm, I love it when you think like that."



That night, when there were only a few customers left, the tavern keeper was cleaning up when he noticed something against the wall at the door. He went over to investigate and found an iron staff with Amazon feathers hanging from it.

"Hey, centaur!" called the burly tavern keeper.

"Yes, Beradus?" said the centaur, poking his head from the kitchen.

"Any idea about what whore brought this in?"

The young centaur examined it from a distance. "Yeah, why?"

"Take it to 'em. I won't have filth such as this in my tavern!"



After checking with the two warriors the Amazon had come in with, the centaur followed the sounds of fighting. It led him through the darkest alleys of the streets, then to the place where the trees began. She was there, punching a bag suspended by leather straps from a tree.

The centaur ducked into the shadows as he watched, his eyes unable to leave her.

She moved like lightning, her hands jabbing the leather bag and causing dust to erupt from its half-broken seams. Sweat covered her body, matting her tied-back hair to her neck and the stray locks to her cheek. A bead rolled down her brow to her cheekbone, and she wiped it away without slowing her training.

Her well-toned muscles rippled ever so slightly as she moved, showing that she was in fact athletic, but not too much.

As the centaur watched her, it seemed that time slowed. His blue eyes studied her every move, the way her hands came into contact with the punching bag; the way her body twisted slightly with every movement, but always stayed in the same position. Suddenly she jumped into the air in slow motion, her feet lifting from the ground, and delivered a powerful kick. The bag went flying across the clearing, where it landed in a cloud of dust. The girl wiped the sweat from her brow, her face matted with stray locks of hair.

The centaur's heart got caught in his throat. He could positively hear her heartbeat, slowed with the stillness of time. BA-RUMP. BA-RUMP. He could also hear her breathing, slowly in and slowly out; inhaling and exhaling. Both sounds created a sense of power that the centaur had never felt before.

"Lydia!" called a voice.

Time became right again as the husky voice broke the silence.

Lydia looked up at a window, where one of the mysterious warrior women was leaning out. "I think you have thoroughly beaten the bag up. Come on inside and get some sleep!" boomed the brunette before shutting the window again.

"Alright, Xena!" called the girl, picking up her training bag. She abruptly froze and looked around as if she sensed a presence.

The centaur blinked and she was gone.

"What do you want?" growled Lydia, pressing a dagger to the centaur's throat from her position behind him. Crush or not, he could always serve as a threat to her, and that was something she had been trained to prevent.

"I--I just wanted to return your staff."

Lydia snatched her staff from him, but didn't remove the dagger. "Then why didn't you just come out and give it to me? You scared of a girl?"

The centaur shook his head.

"What's your name?"

Although hesitant, the centaur replied, "Bowellus."

Lydia released him, a smile twitching her features. "Alright, I'm gonna let you go just for that and then I'll go smack your parents for naming ya that."

"I was not named by my parents. My mother was a whore and my father was just looking to get laid. I was sold into slavery as a young centaur. My friends call me Stone," said the centaur, standing up to try and regain some of his dignity.

"In that case, Stone, I'll smack them twice," said Lydia as she fingered the hilt of her dagger.

"Do you usually scent your daggers with jasmine? Is that a girl thing?" asked Stone, crossing his arms teasingly.

"It's a breast dagger, idiot," said the girl as she put it in her pocket so as not to offer this centaur a nice little show of 'sheathing' the dagger. "But thanks for returning my staff."

"Any good with that?"

His answer was to have all four legs knocked out from under him before he knew what was happening.

"You might say that," she retorted with a smug grin. "Out of curiosity, how did you end up here in Nahssa?"

"'Out of curiosity,' what's your family history? I told you mine so you tell me yours. Then I'll answer your question," said the centaur as he stood up again. "Please, sit down."

Lydia accepted the offer and took a seat on a bag of grain. "I was found abandoned on the side of the road with my little brother at age five. A traveling merchant picked us up and gave me to the Amazons to raise since he wanted nothing to do with a girl. He told them he was going to raise my brother as his own son. So I grew up among the Amazons, and then came the Day of Heritage for me and my age-mates.

"The village shamaness told each of us where our parents and our ancestors came from, and any famous or infamous descendants we had. When it was my turn the shamaness became very upset, like she didn't want to announce this to the whole tribe. I wish she didn't. She told me that my mother was from Japa and my father from Rome. Then I was made an outcast by my peers for being nothing but a mutt.

"But the older girls, feeling sympathy for me, took me into their circle of friends. I found nothing better to do with my time than train, and I have sparred with every warrior in my tribe. Then Xena and Gabrielle came along and I battled Xena and won. They took me with them and…here I am."

Stone considered this quietly. "You're very thorough with your explanations, aren't you?"

Lydia laughed. "Yes, I am! I hate it when people ask excess questions so I just explain everything in one answer. Now it's your turn."

The centaur scratched his head. "Well, I spent most of my childhood working for an Egyptian nobleman. When he lost his entire fortune in a bet I was sold to another master, a Roman veteran. He taught me how to speak many languages, how to read, and a lot about math. When he passed away I was as smart as any educated Roman child.

"But then I was given to his son, a cruel man who did with his father's fortune as he pleased. I was made to be a pack-horse, carrying the heaviest of loads while he traveled from foreign land to foreign land. Finally he met someone who dared to defy him, and he was killed. Then I came to a man named Octavius, who was a rising Roman politician. He made sure I was well cared for and gave me to the tavern-keeper, the most second most tolerant man I've ever met."

Lydia silently pondered over this, her fingers gently tapping on her leg. Stone found the incessant tapping a bit unnerving and put his hand over hers to stop it. The Amazon froze and stared down at his hand over hers. Her heart began skipping beats two by two and she had to remind herself to breathe. She began tapping her fingers furiously under his hands, then looked up into his eyes. Stone began laughing and so did Lydia, though a little more nervously than not.

"I take it you do that when you're nervous?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Yeah," croaked Lydia, her throat as dry as parchment. "So…where can I get a tattoo like that?" Her eyes twinkled mischievously.



Xena woke up and looked around the room, half-expecting Lydia to be beating up the fireplace or something of that nature. She then remembered that the girl had her own room and rolled from the bed, leaving Gabrielle to sleep in as she always did.

"Lydia," Xena said as she knocked on the door. When she got no reply she gently turned the doorknob and opened the door to find the room empty. Lydia's things were still as she had left them the night before. "That girl is going to be the death of me," muttered the warrior as she closed the door and went in search of the teenager.



When she finally found Lydia she wasn't too happy.

The girl was fast asleep, leaned up against a centaur, who was also asleep and leaning against a wall. One arm draped around her waist, his chin rested on top of her head lazily as they slept. Lydia's arms were hugging herself, obviously trying to block out the cold.

"Lydia," said Xena in a cross tone. When neither Lydia nor the centaur moved she tapped the girl's sock-covered foot with her toe. "You better hope for the sake of your boyfriend you wake up."

Lydia groaned in discomfort and opened one sleepy brown eye. She looked up into the angry face of Xena, then to the centaur sleeping so peacefully behind her. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"Yeah, you might say that," said the warrior, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's not how it looks, I swear!" She removed herself from Stone's strong arms and stood. "We didn't do anything! We just talked! Look, I'd never do that! I'm only fourteen. Quite frankly, I'm one of those people who think you shouldn't do 'it' until you're like twenty, and I'm not kidding!"

Xena studied the girl and realized she was telling the truth by the exasperated look on her face. "Okay, but if Gabrielle was in my position she'd hang you up by your thumbs."

Lydia allowed herself to chuckle, then tapped Stone on the shoulder. "Um, I suggest you get outta here before my 'caretaker' gets very, very mad."

Stone looked up into two fiery mad blue eyes. "Ah, right. I'll just be going now," he said, slowly getting to his feet then galloping away as fast as he could.

"Inn. Now."

Lydia didn't have to be told twice.



Gabrielle laughed as she watched Xena silently fume next to the window. "You're gonna scorch the curtains, hot head," teased the bard, the smile never leaving her lips. Xena was playing protective father…mother…whatever. Too funny.

"Whaddya mean?"

"Don't even try and fake with me. You're being protective of her."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"I am not having a two-word-sentence argument with you."

Gabrielle's eyes twinkled mischievously as she quickly replied, "Are too!"

Xena growled at the bard before turning her attention back to the window. "Besides, why would I have a reason to be protective of her? We both know she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself." She rapped her fingers on the windowsill.

"Well," said Gabrielle, slipping her arms around Xena's waist, "there could be the fact that you're growing really attached to her…or maybe it's just my imagination." She nuzzled the warrior's neck comfortingly.

"It's not like I'm not concerned for her well-being…I just, kinda feel like she's a younger version of both me and Eve."

"Ah, the whole 'I missed my child's years of growth so I'm growing attached to a girl who acts just like her' routine. I get it," said Gabrielle with a smile. She gently kissed Xena behind the ear. "I thought we'd been over this a million times."

"Yeah…but there's always that nagging at the back of your head, isn't there?" said the warrior as she watched the bustling marketplace.

"Of course, and that's why you have me," joked the bard. "Come on, we gotta go interrogate the poor little people of this town."



Stone knelt on one knee in front of another centaur. "I am sorry, my lord."

"You were supposed to bring the Amazon to me. We need to spill every drop of her blood inside her body in the name of Ixion for our race to remain strong," said the old centaur, crossing his arms across his chest. "You will bring her to me by sunset two days from now or we'll have a nice beheading instead."

"It shall be done, Lord Moloch, I promise you."

"For the sake of your life you better hope so. Go! Bring her to me unharmed!" ordered Moloch, pointing in the direction of the town.



Lydia ran her hand over a tapestry. The intricate design depicted the story of Zeus and how he battled his father Cronos to gain his reign on Mt. Olympus. She stopped to examine a picture of the great Titan being run through with one of his own ribs. That was weird.

She looked up at the sound of yelling across the marketplace. The sound of Xena unsheathing her sword reached her ears and she took off toward the sound.

Xena reached the scuffle right when Lydia did, but the girl pushed her back. "Wait," she ordered the older woman.

The warrior complied with her wish, stepping back a few paces.

Lydia turned back around to see a man and a woman arguing. The woman was shouting in a foreign language while the man, obviously not understanding, was yelling back in Latin.

The girl stepped between them. "What's the problem?" she asked sternly.

"Nothing that would concern you," said the shopkeeper, his nose in the air.

Lydia knocked his feet out from under him. "What's the problem," she repeated, slowly and dangerously this time.

"That wench tried to attack me!" said the man, pointing to his would-be attacker.

The Amazon turned around and softened at the woman, who wasn't really a woman at all. She was a young girl, not a day over fifteen. Her face was smudged with dirt and ashes, mixed in with some dry blood and tears.

Lydia gently wiped the other girl's face and said in Greek, "What language do you speak?"

Timidly, the older girl replied shakily, "I am from Gaul." She replied in heavily-accented Greek.

"Do you speak Amazon?" asked Lydia, switching to her native Amazon tongue.

Suddenly the young woman brightened. "Oh yes! I was once taught by a traveling Amazon professor!" she piped cheerfully. In this dialect she wasn't as accented, but some Gaelic-sounds influenced her words. "Thank you for stopping that man."

"What happened?" asked Lydia.

"I don't know the words to explain."

Lydia took a deep breath and said something in Gaelic that Xena didn't understand. Lydia spoke that language? The warrior was baffled. Not even she could speak that complex language, and had never even bothered trying to learn it.

"I don't know much Gaelic," said Lydia in the woman's native tongue, "but I do know enough."

She and the woman began to talk in the strange language that no one around them understood at all. The shopkeeper simply glared at them both. "Whores," he muttered under his breath.

After some conversing, Lydia turned to the man and said, "She didn't attack you. You were the one to attack her. Nice argument, reverse the story, but there's no way I'm letting you get by with this." She twirled her staff. "Stand."

The shopkeeper, offering no defense on his part, stood.

Lydia pressed her staff into his throat. "If I ever catch you causing trouble for a woman you'll be sorry you were ever born," she purred dangerously in Latin, her voice low enough so that no one but he heard it.

"So be it," he replied, his voice dripping with hatred.

Anger coursing through her veins, Lydia knocked him out cold with the end of her staff. "Bastard." The crowd stepped back a few paces, allowing room for the angry Amazon to storm past them, her staff carelessly swinging everywhere.



Lydia closed her diary and sighed, her head leaning against the wall of a building she was sitting against. That surge of emotions she had felt in the marketplace still hadn't left her heart. The anger she had felt was overwhelming. Even in her home village, she had seen how cruel men could be. When captured, they never lost their cocky nature. They'd call out to Amazons for sex, spit at their feet, even reach out and grab them in uncomfortable places as they walked by.

But there were always the good, noble men that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those men would quietly await their fate, talking with Amazons as humans, not thinking crude thoughts or even acknowledging the fact that he was one man in a sea of women. As she was lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the presence of someone next to her.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Stone.

Lydia looked up into his face and shrugged. "Sure."

The centaur settled himself next to her. "Dinar for your thoughts?"

"This man in the marketplace today attacked a woman and lied about it because she didn't speak his language. She was Gaelic."

Stone thoughtfully stared into the distance. "That's horrible."

"I've seen worse," replied the girl, unconsciously leaning into him.

"You've been through a lot, haven't you?"

"Not as much as you. I could never be strong under that much stress and pressure," said Lydia, smiling as Stone wrapped his arms around her. "Must've been very hard for you."

"I guess I got used to it after awhile. But that's all in the past. I've learned that every moment is gone, except in your memory, and I will never be lived again. So everything unneeded that you do just wastes priceless seconds of your life," he said, leaning his head against hers.

Lydia's smile widened as she reveled in his comfortable embrace. "I better go before Xena gets mad," she said, longing for contact again.

Stone's face dropped. "Okay…see ya at breakfast."

"See ya," said Lydia as she began to walk away. She abruptly stopped as a gentle hand rested on her shoulder. Turning around, her eyes widened in surprise as Stone's lips came down on hers. She returned the kiss, every fiber of her being thoroughly enjoying it. Surprising them both, Lydia was the first to demand passage into Stone's mouth, and he complied without hesitation.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lydia pulled away and gasped for breath. She licked the last of the sweet kiss from her lips and looked at her boots. "That was…intense. I better go." She turned and almost ran into a wall before disappearing into the tavern.



The next morning, Xena noticed how Lydia bounced around the room, her usually solemn, no-funny-business-in-the-morning nature replaced with a bubbly, happy attitude. "When did you get into Elysia?" asked the warrior sarcastically as she opened the door to Lydia's room.

Lydia simply gave Xena a kiss on the cheek and skipped down to breakfast.

Xena looked to Gabrielle, who's jaw was dragging at her feet. "Whaddya do, Xena, hit her?" asked the bard, scratching her blonde head.

"No! She was like that when I came in!" protested the warrior.

"I know what's wrong with her," said Gabrielle in a matter-of-factly tone.

"What?"

"She's in puppy love," stated the bard with a laugh. "Please don't tell me you can't see the way her eyes twinkle and she seems to love the storm clouds that cover the sun."

Xena shook her head. "I knew something like this would happen."

"Yeah, but she's an Amazon. She has a right to be with a centaur if she wants to. I just don't think that counts outside the village…but oh well! There's still the principle that she can do whatever she wants," said Gabrielle, more to herself than Xena.

"I'm going to go do my sword drills," muttered the warrior as she walked off. Gabrielle laughed and followed her warrior, leaving to have breakfast with Lydia.



Stone served an impatient patron his breakfast, then went over to Lydia and Gabrielle's booth, in the corner as always. "Hello, ladies, how are you this morning?" he asked, pointedly at Lydia.

"We're great Stone, thanks for asking," replied Lydia.

Gabrielle smiled as she translated the conversation into flirting:

"Hello, ladies, how are you doing this morning?"

"Hey, did you enjoy that kiss?"

"We're great, Stone, thanks for asking."

"You're a really good kisser."

"I'm glad."

"I saved it for you."

"You know, Stone, as a waiter you should be taking my order.

"Wanna go for a walk after we're done eating?"

"Oh yes, what would you like?"

"Sure! What do ya want?"

"I just want eggs, thanks, Stone."

"I want you!"

"Eggs for both of you?"

"Eggs for both of you?"

"Right."

"Right."

"Good. I'll be right out with that."

"Wait for me."

As Gabrielle stopped her humorous thoughts, she looked up to find Lydia humming to herself happily. "What're you so happy about?" she finally asked the girl after trying in vain to recognize the tune of her song.

"Nothing."

"Oh, ha, ha. That's funny. What's got you giving Xena little pecks on the cheek? She once killed a man for doing that," said Gabrielle with a wide grin.

"Like you don't know."

"Humor me."

Lydia sighed and set down her mug of juice. She laced her fingers and leaned forward so their conversation would be more private. "Okay, you got me. I fell for the horse boy. But it ain't serious. I'm fourteen. He's seventeen."

Gabrielle looked like she was going to make a sarcastic comment, but decided against it and said instead, "You two should take a walk. I know it always helped me and Xena when we were deep in thought. Especially about each other. And do tell me what you're humming."

Lydia laughed. "Why the sudden interest?"

"I wanna know!" boomed the bard in mock impatience.

"Something my friends and I made up from listening to the music from all our newly anointed sisters from around the world."

"Well, sing it for me."

Lydia blushed.

"You didn't have a problem singing yesterday."

"Yeah, but that was with you and Xena. There's so many people here." She looked around timidly.

"Come on."

Lydia sighed and gave in. "Do I really have to?"

Gabrielle crossed her arms across her chest.

"Fine… it's just a story about a guy who's going through life in constant wonder. He's totally lost, always wanting to know how love feels. And I don't know why it's about a guy, so don't ask!"

The bard's interest sparked even more. "So sing it!"

Lydia laughed and cleared her throat, "You gotta sing with me when you learn the words."

"Fine."



Xena returned to the tavern, covered in dirt and sweat from her drilling, to find everyone standing up and dancing around. A band was blaring away music, while the tavern keeper was smiling from ear to ear as more and more patrons arrived. And in the middle of it all was Lydia and Gabrielle.

"…and I can only say she's mostly wrong! And I'm not sure how to cope with my current situation in this place that I keep saying I belong! Oh, and I do not think I'll be discussing how love can be. Won't you please tell me…How does it feel?! To reach out free? And as for me, oh the world down on their knees in sympathy!" sang the bard and adolescent, who were standing on top of a table.

Xena shook her head with a smile.

Gabrielle looked up and caught sight of the warrior. "Hey Xe! Care to lend us some vocals?"

The warrior laughed and strode over to the table, hopping up on top of it with her two traveling companions. "What're you two doing?"

"Earning a hundred dinars an hour by the look on the tavern keeper's face!" answered Lydia as she danced to the music blaring from flutes, drums, guitars, and even a lyre.

The gathered audience began to cheer for more and Lydia turned to Gabrielle. "I'm beat, you guys take care of it. Stone and I are going for a walk, okay?"

Gabrielle nodded just before Xena swept her into her arms and began dancing with her.



"Where did you learn to dance like that? I thought that old woman in the back was going to faint," joked Stone as he and Lydia picked their way down a dirt road. "I don't think I've ever seen someone do that in public."

Lydia laughed and kicked away a rock. "You people on the outside world just don't know what you're missing!" She demonstrated her dance, sensually rocking her hips with her arms waving around seductively. "Those women who wear those long dresses that reach to their toes day in an day out…jeez, I would never be able to do that." She stopped dancing and straightened up.

Stone chuckled as he eyed her half-naked body. "True… your current attire states that you don't plan on covering up much, now does it?"

The Amazon smiled and walked in front of him, beginning her little seduction dance again just to get on his nerves for that comment.

"Um…Isn't it...um...hot today?" Stone asked nervously as he tried not to pay attention to the rays of light gleaming on Lydia's coppery tanned skin...or her silky hair…or—he mentally smacked himself.

Lydia started giggling when she saw the redness start to creep down his face, starting with his neck and working all the way up to his ears. "You know, you're pretty cute when you blush," she said as she turned around and stopped, just smiling at him devilishly.

"And you know what?" Stone asked teasingly as he pulled Lydia to him.

"You're…very…cute…when…" He let his voice trail off as he leaned in to kiss Lydia…then, all of a sudden, he opened his eyes and realized he was on the ground with a heavy staff on his chest.

"The only way you would be cute is if you were dead. And that's not impossible if you try to touch my friend again," the young Amazon stated seriously. The Amazon had blonde hair, eyes as brown as Lydia's, and a dark brown leather outfit. She started edging her way over to Lydia. "What's going on? Who is this guy? Where is Xena and Gabrielle?"

"Tavi, settle down. Why don't you let him up and you and I can go talk about everything in private." Lydia smiled at her friend, knowing it would help things loosen some uneasiness. She couldn't help but laugh at the look on Stone's face.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood, boy," Tavi said warningly as she slowly let the centaur up.

"Really? Could have fooled me," Stone mumbled as he started to get up…then quickly found himself back on the ground.

"Watch it," Tavi snapped, punching him on the chest with the end of her staff.

Lydia bit her lip to keep the smile down. "Hey Stone, do you think you could give us some time to talk?"

"Sure, I guess so," Stone grumbled as he stood up and dusted himself off. "We'll talk later…so it's no big deal." He started to step closer to Lydia to give her a hug but was quickly intercepted by the taller Amazon. "Ok, ok, ok, I get the point!" Having said that, Storm trotted off.

"So, are you going to explain all this to me or am I going to have to knock you upside the head a few times?" Tavi asked as she looked at Lydia's face. Hmm…Has my friend fallen for a centaur?

"Ok, but as soon as I do, you better explain what you're doing here." Lydia grinned mischievously.

"Alright, but you first."

"Ok, to put a semi-long story short, we got here a few days ago and I met that centaur the day we got here. And well…um...I guess I like him." Lydia wondered to herself Did I just tell her that!? Oh crap!

"Uh-huh. Well...hmm…I don't really know what to say. I'm happy for you." Tavi did her best to put on a smile. Ah...Come on, be happy for the girl. She needs something like this. Still...Oh, shut up Tavi.

"Really? Thanks. That means a lot. Ok, so, you're turn. What are you doing here?"

"Well, it just got kinda dull there and well...I missed you. I know that's stupid, but I did," admitted the taller Amazon. There, I said it. It's out there and she knows so don't worry. I guess I'm losing my edge

Lydia tried not to let her mouth hang open for more than a few seconds. Tavi was always one of those people who didn't really share her feelings with everyone. Tavi was only two years older than Lydia herself, but, as a child, had been betrayed by her family... So, Tavi just stopped trusting so much…and if she trusted you at all, you had a lifelong friend.

"Lydia…Ya there? Did I scare you or something?" called Tavi, waving her hands in front of the younger girl's face. Oh great, freak the girl out, would ya.

"Oh, sorry. Just started thinking about something and forgot where I was. I missed you too, Tavi. I'm glad you're here." Lydia leaned over and hugged the taller girl.

"Well, I'm glad I'm here too," Tavi replied as she hugged her friend.

"So now that you're here, what are you planning on doing? I mean, are you gonna go back to Amazon territory or are you going to ask Xena if you can travel with her?" asked Lydia with a sly little smile.

"Well, there's no way I'm going back there. I feel like an outsider without you making fun of everyone else." She grinned impishly. "So, I guess I'm going to ask Xena and Gabrielle if I can travel with you guys for awhile. That is, if you don't mind."

"Me mind? Of course not. Let's go and see what they have to say."

The two Amazons took off on a small run back to the town.



As the two girls passed Xena and Gabrielle's door at the Inn, the heard… noises coming from inside.

Moaning, passionate noises.

"Oh my gosh. Are they doing what I think they're doing?" Tavi couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Shhhh...Tavi...We better get outta here before they hear us!" urged Lydia, clamping her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. They went over to Lydia's room and Tavi sat down on Lydia's bed, leaning against the wall.

"So, are ya hungry?" Lydia asked, as she looked over at Tavi who was smiling and laughing, her ear pressed against the wall.

"Yeah, I could go for something to eat now. Besides, we better get away from then before I bust a gut from laughing," said Tavi with a mischievous grin.

Lydia snorted back a laugh loudly. This only proved to make the situation worse.

"Oh…Gosh.…c'mon Lydia, before you get us caught." Tavi leaped off the bed and grabbed Lydia's wrist, pulling her out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the inn.

"Ooof…Where are we going?" Lydia asked as she finally was able to breathe normally.

"I have no idea, but I didn't stop downstairs cause we were getting some crude looks from the patrons and I don't feel like getting into trouble right before I ask Xena and Gabrielle if I can stay with you guys."

"Ah…Good point. So, where we gonna go?" Lydia looked down the street, hoping to find something looking like a tavern.

"Hey there Ama-whore," an overweight, booze-smelling, man said to Lydia as he reached out and grabbed her by the waist.

"Hey, just what do you think you're doing?" Tavi asked as she walked over to the man and grabbed his arm off her friend.

He took Lydia by the waist again. "I like this Ama-whore. She's so small and...Here, let me whisper it to you," the man said, his face so close to Lydia's that she was dizzy from the smell of booze he gave off. He motioned Tavi to come over.

So, Tavi complied and leaned over and heard what the guy said. She then winked at Lydia and said, "Yep, she is very beautiful. But, that's why you..."She quickly brought her left leg and connected with his jaw. "Can't." She did a series of attacks on his face, scratching, punching, and promptly breaking his nose. "Have her." she stated pointed out and started walking away. "C'mon, Lydia."

Lydia just stood there in awe. Never before had she seen Tavi move that fast. Of course, it wasn't as fast as Lydia herself could go, but it shocked her nonetheless. "Oh…right. I'm coming!"

"Ya know what? I think it would just be a better idea if we went back to the inn and I asked if I could stay. I would hate to get in a brawl and get thrown in jail or something my first night here and then put on my best puppy face, asking Xena and Gabrielle if I could stay. Doing all that behind bars, mind you," said Tavi sarcastically.

Lydia only laughed, smiled at her friend and said, "Whatever you say, big sister." She chuckled again from the expression on her friend's face.

"Oh brother. You aren't gonna start calling me that, are you?"

"Yep, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." Lydia said defiantly, hands on hips in her trademark 'stubborn stance'.

"Did I say anything about stopping you? No, I don't think so." Tavi replied, sticking her tongue out.

"Oh, gonna play it that way, huh?" Lydia asked. "Fine." Lydia stuck her tongue out back at Tavi, then smirked afterwards.

"C'mon, little sister. I'll race you back to the inn."

Having said that, the two took off for the inn.



"WHAT?!" Xena could feel her head throbbing. "Just when did she get here? Oh Gods...Are we starting an Amazon convention here or something?"

Tavi crossed her arms over her chest impatiently. "No, we're just starting a 'who can beat the warrior princess club' and Lydia's the queen," she said sarcastically.

Gabrielle snickered in the background, coming up behind her lover, who was counting to a thousand silently.

Sensing her warrior had had enough, she replied, "Listen, we have to get to Rome and we have to get there fast. Another traveling partner will just slow us down."

Lydia poked out her bottom lip and gave the bard doe eyes. "But Gabby," she whined, "why can't I bring my friend with me? It's not like she's going to drag her heels the entire way."

The bard had to laugh at Lydia's expression, her resolve disintegrating. "I dunno--"

"I'll stuff her in my pack if I have to, and I promise she won't slow us down!" said Lydia, jumping up and putting an arm around her friend's shoulders. When Tavi just scowled she elbowed her in the ribs to get a smile, which made the taller Amazon give her a forced grin that looked more like a grimace.

Stuff me in her pack…puh, thought the older Amazon.

Gabrielle's resolve disappeared and she sighed in defeat. "Okay."

"Yes!" cried both girls, giving each other high fives.

"This is gonna be so much fun… okay, first things first, come on!" said Lydia, dragging her friend out of the room.

Gabrielle collapsed on the bed and covered herself with pillows. "How exactly do you get us into these messes?"

"Me?! Whaddya mean?" protested Xena, plopping down next to her lover.

"If you hadn't brought her along then we wouldn't be playing babysitter for two teenagers, now would we?" said Gabrielle bitterly from behind a large pillow.

Xena laughed. "Don't worry…if they ask to go on dates I'll send them to you."

Gabrielle hit the warrior upside the head with a pillow.



Stone sighed as he finished wiping down the bar. Looking to his boss, he silently asked if he could leave. The man nodded and Stone slipped out into the dark streets of the village. As he slowly walked out of the city limits, the centaur thought about what had happened in the tavern that day. It had all started out when a band had heard Lydia singing…

Gabrielle looked up as music drifted to her ears. A small band of about five men had begun to play Lydia's song by ear. The bard smiled at her young friend, then joined in the singing.

"…oh well, brilliance comes and brilliance goes, but you're the only one that knows that nothing draws them in like sympathy! Hey, and as for all the broken ones, who make their way with poison tongues, the pillow they sleep on is misery. But you will not see me be nasty to a tree in this land of the free. How does it feel?" they sang together in perfect harmony.

A crowd had gathered outside—and inside—the tavern, wondering who was singing. People were buying drinks and food to sit and enjoy the show, filling the tavern keeper's purse and making him resort to filling flower vases with money.

Stone curiously poked his head from the kitchen, almost swallowing his tongue at the sight that met his eyes.

Lydia was standing next to the youngest of the band members--a boy no older than seventeen--and was stroking his cheek ever so slightly as they danced together, bodies pressing into the other's. As they moved to the music, she concentrated on her feet as she sang.

The centaur suddenly felt very hot. Lydia turned towards Stone and a smile broke out on her face. She winked at him and then turned back to the crowd watching her. The centaur almost collapsed on the spot.

At that moment, he had felt his resolve almost totally dissipate. How was he going to turn her over to Lord Moloch now? His heart had suddenly overcome his mind. What if he—

Before the centaur could finish his thought, a large hand grabbed him by the collar of his tunic and threw him twenty feet through the air. Stone crashed into a wooden crate, the wind knocked from his lungs. He groaned and looked up into a blurry face. "Moloch?"

The huge centaur picked Stone up once again. "You were alone with her again and failed to bring her to me! Now, you listen to me, Bowellus Stone Bloodypach Resetius of Mogador, if I do not have that girl in shackles by sunset tomorrow you are going to be beaten, manacled, and burned alive. Do I make myself clear?"

Stone gulped and nodded timidly. "It shall be done, Lord Moloch."

Moloch threw the younger centaur down once again and snorted, kicking dust in Stone's face before galloping off.



"So… what's up with you and this 'Stone' guy anyway?" asked Tavi as she nibbled on a pastry she and Lydia had weaseled from Gabrielle. "I mean, are you…?"

Lydia shrugged, then replied, "We're not really an 'item'. We haven't done anything but talk and walk…that's it. Except for that one little lip-lock we had."

"'Little'? Please explain what you think 'little is'."

The petite Amazon licked her lips nervously, but smiled. "Um…how do I explain this?"

"Short and simple. Tongue or no tongue?"

Lydia's jaw dropped. "Tavi!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…but, just out of curiosity…tell me!" said the older girl. They both giggled for a second, then Lydia slumped on the bed in defeat.

"Tongue."

"Ha! Ha! I knew it! That centaur is no good! When we get back to Amazonia you're gonna be in so much trouble! Kissing an Amazon out of season is a major offense!" teased Tavi with a good-natured grin. "Ooh, you're in trouble!"

Lydia socked Tavi a good one on the arm. "That's not funny. Besides, it was just one little kiss and we'll be leaving tomorrow." The last part was added in sadly.

Tavi put an arm around her friend's shoulders. "Don't worry, Little Sis, we'll come an visit on the way back, huh?" she suggested, seeing that the small Amazon was not in the mood for the sharp retort she had in mind.

"I think we better go to sleep before Xena and Gabrielle decide to dump us off somewhere between here and Rome," said Lydia with a grin.

"Wouldn't want your poor little Neferiti to get sick, now would we?" said Tavi sarcastically. "I swear, that horse is evil."

"She is not!" protested Lydia. "She's a sweet little zebra. What's she ever done to you?"

"Let's see…she bit me, she bit me, and she bit me again!"

"Did not! Neferiti wouldn't hurt a soul!" argued Lydia stubbornly. "She's never done anything to hurt me!"

"That's because you two understand each other. You're both so stubborn that a donkey would look at you and say 'brat'." The taller Amazon quickly moved out of range before Lydia could smack her on the arm.

"I'm gonna get you for that!"



Stone picked up another rock and threw it at a window. It tapped on the sill then fell back to the ground, almost hitting a patron as he exited the tavern. After a few moments, the centaur threw another pebble at the window.

This time it opened and a hand darted out, catching the rock. A face then appeared, smiling down at the young centaur. "What?" asked Lydia with a laugh. She tossed the rock back down to him.

"Come with me! I have something to show you!" said Stone, shielding the sun with his eyes as he looked up to the window.

Lydia considered it for a moment, then replied, "Sure! Give me a sec. I'll be right down!"

The centaur went into the tavern and waited by the staircase for her. He waited a full thirty minutes before she finally appeared. "What took you so long?"

"I'm a girl. It's in my blood," replied the Amazon with a grin. She gently kissed him on the lips and skipped out the door. "Let's go! I want to see whatever you have to show me!"

Stone lowered his eyes guiltily as he followed her out.



"So where exactly are we going?" asked Lydia as they headed into the woods. "I gotta be back before noon or Xena will have my hide."

Stone sighed sadly, though making it inaudible to his companion. "Before you leave, I just wanna show you something. It's a surprise." He put his arm around her as they continued.

"You know, since we're short on time, I wanted to tell you that I had a great time here. We didn't really do that much, but I know I'll be coming back to see you," said the girl quietly. "I've never felt this way before with another person. It's like…like--"

"Magic," finished Stone. At that moment, his heart overruled his mind and he turned to her. "You have to get outta here, quick. Just turn and go and don't come back!"

Lydia looked at him in confusion. "What? Stone, what're you talking abuot?"

The centaur was about to reply, but a chorus of laughter erupted from the trees. Fifteen other centaurs made their presence known, surrounding Lydia and Stone.

Moloch crossed his arms. "Welcome to hell on earth, Amazon."

TBC…