The Bard

By the Mighty Lu Bu

Years of no disclaimers did nothing to hurt comedy. (I haven't wrote a disclaimer in ages)

It has been many years since Xena had died. Gabrielle had wondered the earth, but now, as a grandmother to a beautiful baby girl, she found herself often thinking of Xena. Life had changed since her days with Xena, and even after Xena had passed, Gabrielle had been writing about her.

But… with her relationships with her daughter and now 6 month old granddaughter, Gabrielle hadn't wrote of Xena for what felt like ages. While Gabrielle would never forget her love for Xena, it seemed go grow distant. Her time as a bard, nothing but a memory. Gabrielle would reason with herself, sleeping baby in her arms, "but it was so long ago… I couldn't possibly break out the pen again."

Gabrielle had many stories unfinished. She had a story about how, she and Xena fought against an evil god bent upon conquering the world. Using a set notes she wrote, she had wrote about Xena's past life, before Hercules helped save Xena from her evil ways.

In her later life, when she had settled down, sharing her stories with her friends had brought her great joy. She wasn't sure what led her to leave it in the past… why did she quit writing? Was it because she had a problem with this person who obsessed over her? Hardly seems likely, that person left her alone. It wasn't why she quit writing. Crazed fans come with the business of bringing smiles to faces through writing stories.

Maybe it was because, she moved on. You never forget your loved ones, but as the years pass, sometimes it's easy to prefer to think about the loved ones you hold dear that are alive today, the life you have now… never forgetting Xena, but loving her children and grandchildren, and focusing on them instead.

But sometimes, Gabrielle would wonder… what about my stories? The Saga of Xena, isn't completely told. There is just so much that happened that she never wrote down… is it greedy to keep those words inside herself? Maybe she would enjoy telling and writing stories again.

Maybe… just maybe, Gabrielle could be the person she is today, and still tell her stories. True, she has changed, or in her mind, grown as a person, as well all do with age, but perhaps writing the stories of old, finishing the tales wouldn't be a step back. Perhaps they would be an outlet, to remember the love and joy she had for writing stories, as well as her love for Xena. She hadn't thought about Xena this much in ages, but maybe, Gabrielle thought to herself, it would be good to spend some time and thought on Xena again.

Gabrielle took the pen in hand, didn't know what the write. The words wrote by her past self, seemed like an echo of a time long ago. They were her… but they weren't really her now. Yet, as she added a word to finish a sentence, she couldn't help but feel like she was linking a chain between herself in the past, and herself today… the mother, and grandmother. Happy with her life, and what it has been since she had stopped writing.

But perhaps, there was a part of her that tugged at her soul… Every time she saw a metal object that was in the shape of a circle, or heard the clang of a sword, or listened to people speak of Amazons. She couldn't help but think of the work she has that would be left undone. What of her children? Grandchildren? If Gabrielle didn't finish her work, they would never know the entire story… of how Gabrielle was the Battling Bard of Potidaea… the pride she had felt in fighting alongside Xena, making a difference in the world. If she didn't finish, they might perhaps never know how her story with Xena ended. What's a good story if the end isn't wrote?

These were questions as the scroll quivered in her hand. Should she write, or should she set it down? Leave it in the past… or finish her great work?

Her granddaughter cooed with happiness, resting in the arms of her grandmother… Gabrielle smiled a warmest of smiles and said, "Xena, I think I will finish my story… and one day you will read my scrolls and learn of the amazing woman, whose name you bear. I'll write again… for you, my little babe."

Author's Note

I haven't posted a story in years. Gabrielle's thoughts, in some ways reflect my own. I wrote them, to consider my own actions. Every time I see the chakram, or hear the name"Xena" I think of those stories of mine and wonder if I shouldn't finish them… if I do, I'll pick one, finish it, and move from there. Reviews are appreciated.

Dedicated to my friends, if they are still on this website, such as Stardown, Hazmot, Silvermoonlight, Phineas Redux (who writes even better today than he did years ago) Xentrya, Lady Razeli, Korkyra, and many others… I love and miss you all so much.

I even remember you, crazed fan who shall not be mentioned.