My name is Gabrielle, Bard of Potedia, former slave to the conqueror and love of her life. My story is not an easy one. Though neither is hers. She has had such an unfair twist of events in her life as do we all I only hope my heart and soul can bring comfort to hers. This was intended to be my story, though I find it to be better referred to as our story. This is how I found the conqueror and Xena found me. But I am getting ahead of myself like every story there is a beginning where it ends is up to you.
CH1
I was brought into her house as a slave with no name. I had a name yes but no one ever asked. I remember being sold and bound like an animal and then it went dark. Next thing I knew I was in a large room in a palace, her palace. I knew because of the fear that seemed to be in the air. She was showing up at court to chose new slaves for her household. I was terrified I had heard the stories. My life had been cruel but nothing compared to how a slave under the conqueror might know fear.
From the moment I saw her my breath was taken away. Her hair was a beautiful river of raven black hair and her eyes that piercing blue shot straight to your soul. I shook not necessarily from fear but from unrivaled beauty.
Her eyes caught mine, they seemed sad. I almost had pity for the woman who had seemingly cold eyes and a sword on her hip. Almost. I tried to glace away but then I felt her draw near, I could hear her dark boots on the cold stone floor and the way the echo made her sound larger then she was. She was tall to be sure but she was no giant, simply human. I remember staring down at her feet.
"Her she will do." And within heartbeats she was gone. And I was sent to her chambers.
It should have been terrifying waiting for her there. In this large room, yet the room was so full of comfort. There were many pillows and the bed was taking up a good portion or the room. The purple and golds used in the room where unrivaled by anything my eyes had every had the chance to behold.
She entered with a slam to the door of her outer chamber.
She seemed in a rage, but she sobered when she saw me standing there.
She said nothing to me just proceeded to the bathing chamber. I waited till she called for me, watching the flames of her fireplace dance to pass the time. Morpheus had almost claimed me when I heard that voice call to me.
"come here."
I took a deep breath and entered the bathing chamber. Her back was glistening with moisture as she had been in the bath some time.
I remember her words well. She waited for me to look into her eyes.
"I will expect you to show discretion with anything spoken of within this chamber. Actions taken do not need to leave my chambers. "
I listened intently. And noticed that she began to clutch at her heart, when she did so she took a sharp intake of breath.
"My lord is there anything I can do?" my eyes darted around the room I knew not what I could do for her
"No…I'm… it'll pass." Her eyes were watering in pain. She started not to clutch as hard and I hoped the worst was over. The clutching had left deep nail marks on her chest, I think I stared too long for she startled me when she next spoke.
"What is your name girl?"
I could not believe she wanted to know my name. No one ever asked that before of me. Did I even remember what my name was? I had to think hard, the name gabrielle seemed to bring some recognition from me though the person this gabrille was had escaped me long ago.
"Gabrielle my Lord"
She seemed pleasantly surprised.
"Ok gabrielle I am in need of sort of companion. It gets to quiet without another moving around.. eerily soo… this is a big castle"
Xena-
I was stumbling why was I stumbling. This girl was mine. I should take her right now. The gods know I wanted to, but there was something else there too. Something I couldn't put a name to yet.
"I… look I won't pretend to be someone I am not, I might take you for sport, but know that tonight you have nothing to fear from me. Relax."
Relax? Why would I give her such hope? I was the conqueror I wanted to keep up my reputation. But was it worth it to do it in front of this girl? Oh I am not a hero and I do not pretend to be I have done many of the things sung abt in stories, but tonight something was changing. I had been numb for too long and my heart must have known the best time to start again, with pain.
Gabrielle_-
She had me lay with her that night. She never touched me. She seemed almost scared to. Like I were a phantom.
We went on like this for months. Me serving her food, brushing her hair, tending to her horse. She never once touched me. nor I her. Though the gods know I wanted to.
I remember the saddest night in the palace. It was not for myself but for my lord. I had begun to bring her smile back because I could not take the solemn mood in her chambers. She liked to hear my stories and I confided in her that had I not been taken as a slave I would have gone to the academy of bards in Athens. It was my dream. She showed me kindness and regard like I had never known and I always caught her glancing at me while I read or wrote as she did.
The night was off. Something in the air I was told not to go to my lord. That she had a visitor. As I walked through the halls to where I was told my chambers where( I had never spent time in them) I was assaulted and fought with all my might once my attacker ripped off a piece of my dress and soaked it in blood running from my lip he left me alone without further damage. The one person I wanted to run to was Xena. I thought he might come back I knew If I was with her I would be safe. I tried to sneak to her chambers but stopped short outside the outer chamber because the door was wide open, xena never leaves it open.
"What do you want dagnin? I don't have time for your shit."
"My conqueror I only wish to strike a deal with you. " I could hear the sneer in his voice
"your getting soft conqueror I no longer hear cries of pain from your chambers, have you lost your little play thing already?"
"Dagnin I can have as many play things as I want, you are not one of them. What is the deal you want to make?"
"I'll make it simple I have your little plaything. You seem to have taken a liking to her. You let me fuck you and I'll let her go. No one has to know it can be out little secret"
He went to caress her face, she swatted his hand away quickly.
"what makes you think…." Daginin must have held out the tattered cloth. She knew it was mine from the design. A black robe with gold lining, an old robe of hers she had given me.
"My lord you hide this only from yourself. We can all see you have not left a mark on the girl. You have a special interest in her. Dare I say fancy?"
Xenas heart stopped. Dagnin moved behind her ripped her robe off and pushed her onto the table. Xena did not fight. Her submission was only audible by her pained whimpers and the creeking of the wood.
I saw her face then through the door tears streaming down. A second later I was in the room pushing him off of her. She looked up at me shocked, that I was here that I was ok, that intervened.
He got up and came at me.
"you fucking bitch!" he was backing me into a corner
Just before he got to me Xena's hands were around his neck pushing pressure points.
"don't you fucking touch her." With that he dropped dead. We made eye contact and then
Xena collapsed to the floor. I went to her and pulled her up into my arms.
"Are you alright my lord?" She seemed emotionally spent.
"Xena, my name is Xena." She said as she slipped away.
I had spent all night with her making sure she was alright. When she awoke she saw my face and smiled.
"your alright." She seemed satisfied with my appearance
"I hope you are too ,I'm only sorry I didn't intervene sooner." I grabbed her closer hand and stroked it.
Her eyes looked around with confusion
"I dragged him into the hall and had his blood cleared up and cleaned up the room and you. The men just think you got into a brawl. Thought you were in your bathing chamber as mad as Hades."
I smiled.
She nodded her approval. Then her eyes changed, she began to clutch at her chest. Her heart must have been hurting her.
On instinct my hand flew to where she was clutching above her heart. Her face instantly realized and her breathing slowed.
"how…did…u…do…that?"
I looked into her eyes with amazement, "I have no idea."
"are you a witch" she looked at me with such a look of concentration
"no I'm not."
"A god? Because I am tired of dealing with the gods."
"No." I half laughed, "I'm not a god." Me a god the idea was ludacris.
"Well a moment ago my heart was being crushed and I couldn't breathe
and you made it stop" she was practically yelling at me.
"I don't know! Gods Xena, I am as surprised as you, the only thing I can think
Of…." is true love. Is that what this was?
"you can think of is what? Is wat?" She was scared.
"true love…" I said as it entered my thoughts.
"wat?!" her eyes were wide.
"Xena, I…. fuck it, I was terrified moments ago to lose you."
She flashed her eyes to the window, it had begun to rain.
"I don't believe you…" she said quietly.
"Xena, do you love me?" I looked into her eyes.
"I….." she stopped breathing for a moment, then with a big release of breath, "
no, I don't love you. Thank you for healing me. No one will hear about your magic, you may go"
She turned away from me. The sheet sliding down her now bare back.
"No…no you look at me, I don't believe YOU." I reached for her.
She turned her icy glare on me. "don't touch me."
"if you don't love me why did u let dagnin touch you? Hm? "
Again she turned away. "get …." huff "out"
"Xena, answer me." I turned her around and could see her bloody nails and the blood dripping down,
She was clawing at her chest, in all the commotion I missed that her heart had started to betray her again."
She looked down and as quick as she could backed away from me and the bed. She ran to the bathroom and pushed up against the door.
"Xena let me in!" I threw my self against the door but it would not budge enough.
I could hear her scream.
"Let me help you! Please!" I was beginning to panic. She couldn't die I didn't have answers.
I took a deep breath closed me eyes remembered the blood drenching her nails and opened them with renewed vigar. I threw myself into the door again. It flew wide open.
She was laying on the floor, bawling her eyes out.
"No… NO!" I fell to the floor. Brushing her hand away,Sprawling my hand over the bloody mess over her heart. It stopped dripping and she started to be able to breathe. She was still crying hysterically. I pulled her up by her shoulders.
"what are you doing to youself! Look at what you are doing to yourself…."
She hit me in the arm, she pushed me back against the tub.
"I hate you! I hate you!" she kept screaming at me. She kept this up for a few min, then seemed to lose her anger.
Then she kissed me. ...
And pushed back like she was going to fight me again.
Xena-
I had to run she made me feel, it was scarier than the pain in my chest, scarier than an eternity in tartarus. Love can have the power to destroy more than any hate. I would not allow someone else
To have that power over me. I laid there reeling in pain hearing her words again and again. "I love you"
The cruelest words to my ears. She made it in with her determination. She healed my heart for the second time. This witch with her curse. I hated her. I started to hit her screaming at her. But I was more scared of myself with what would happen if she touched me with her kindness again. She would ruin everything I had worked so hard to attain. Suddenly anger turned to passion and I kissed her. It was like a shock to my system. I pushed away I needed to get out of here. But she wrapped her arms around me so quickly I didn't have time to get away.
"I love you." she leaned back enough to look my in the eyes, put her hand over my heart and said it again "I love you xena."
I pulled her into another hug. I may not be able to say it, but I was feeling it.
Blowing out my breath "damn it Gabrielle, look what you're doing to me."
"please Xena, let me help you, don't push me away. I wont stay away." she looked determined.
I let her guide me back to the bed. As we lay there she met my eyes with hers filled with such worry.
I gripped her hand like it were my lifeline, in a sense it was.
I needed to feel her. I rolled half onto her and kissed her. This left a humming in my heart. Love feels a lot like pain, its strong. She pulled me closer harder. And for the first time I didn't fuck I made love. Leaving myself completely vulnerable to the pain and the hurt. She protected my heart and made good on her promise, she did love me. After all the years of lies, all the people who had lied and deceived me here was this one. She made me more alive then I had been in years. I didn't know where we would go from here. I just knew I always wanted to be with her, safe in her arms.