Disclaimer: Xena: Warrior Princess and all related canon characters belong to Renasiance Pictures, USA Studios and Rob Tapert. Thalia, extra Amazons and characters that you do not know, are mine. Please do not copy, borrow ideas
and names without direct written permission. If you would like to archive this
story for your website, please contact me.
Story Arch: This story takes place after "Ides of March". A bit of a different
spin on things. I'm writing Thalia's story backwards, but this has been in my
head a while. I plan on writing a full story from her, starting from "Hoofs and
Harlots.
Shipper: Yup. I'm one of those too! Although this story isn't focused much on the ships, you can see a lot of Xena/Ares in it. Sorry, this is just what came out. Subtext fans, don't fear there's a lot of that in here too!
Subtext: It's not a Xena story without it! :)
Contact: Flames will be ignored; offerings are greatly appreciated. Please let me know if you'd like more of this story, and I'll gladly get to it!
--A New Destiny--
The snow had finally stopped. Thalia had been watching like a sentry, and finally the white flakes had dissipated. But that didn't mean the cold had stopped. She shivered in the furs she wore; her blue eyes never leaving the sight of those crosses. They were chilling.
"Someone's coming." Alert, Americe picked up her wineskin and took a drink. "It might be a Roman."
"Then we need to be prepared." Thalia said. She would go through heaven and hell to make sure nothing happened to her mother's body--or to Gabrielle's. They were going to be buried together, that she could make sure of.
"Let's go." The red haired Amazon gave her a nod and Thalia followed. Both young women were quiet, steathly. Their fists shot out, expecting to down fall a Roman Soldier, but Thalia quickly recognized that it wasn't. Not with that clanky, bulky, homemade armor of his. Americe started to strike again, but Thalia was quicker.
"No! He's a friend."
Joxer the Mighty held his nose which was swollen now. He eyed the two Amazons guardedly, remembering the awful dreams he'd been having lately. "Wait, wait I'm a friend!" Joxer agreed. "Oh. Thally!" He embraced her, and she hugged him back, grateful to see a family member.
"How do you know Xena and Gabrielle, Roman?" Americe sputtered.
Thalia and Joxer both looked at her. Joxer spoke first, his voice slightly annoyed. "Do I look like a Roman to you?!"
Americe skipped her eyes over his wear. "No. I guess not. You know him?" Her eyes dragged back to Thalia.
"Yes, I know him. He's considered a family friend." Thalia insisted.
Americe relaxed, possibly for the first time since they'd been in Rome.
"Where are Xena and Gabrielle?" Joxer asked. "I've been having dreams...horrible dreams. I'd like to talk to them."
An awkward silence hung in the air. Thalia's eyes shimmered with tears.
"Thalia--tell me--where are Xena and Gabrielle?"
Americe placed a hand on his arm and turned him.
Joxer fell to his knees, anquish clear on his face.
***********
"Let's all get warm." Eli suggested. "The Romans will be coming for their bodies." Joxer, Americe and Thalia had spent all night cutting down Xena and Gabrielle's bodies from the crosses. One point through it, Thalia choked up and broke down. Americe and Joxer let her cry, and then started to offer comfort, but she bolted from them, wanting to finish the job.
"Yes." Thalia agreed. She took the pro-offered cup of tea Eli had fixed. It warmed her on the outside. She felt like inside she'd never be warm again.
Meanwhile, Americe had filled Joxer in on what had happened. His brown eyes shimmered with tears when he heard the story. "I know Gabrielle wants to be buried next to Xena, and Xena next to Lyceus." Joxer recited. "I'll do whatever it takes to get them to Amphipolis."
Thalia nodded. She held the cup, seeking warmth from it. "We'll get them there. Their bodies will be safe, Grandmother will see to it." She assured the ragged little group. She felt a million miles away. The last few days had been so hard. Fighting all those Romans, then Callisto's hellish spirit. And then...watching as her mother and her aunt were tied up to crosses and left for dead.
"They'll want to make an example of Xena and Gabrielle's bodies." Eli decided as he stared out the old temple's walls. Far off, they could see the approaching warriors.
"Why do you even care?" Americe barked, turning her fire and anger on him. "You did this to them; with your peace and love you killed Gabrielle's warrior spirit! Maybe they'd still be alive if--"
"Americe!" Joxer exclaimed. "That's enough."
Pain clear and evident in Eli's face, the prophet shook his head. "No, Joxer. Americe must say how she feels. Now...if you'll pardon me." He left the temple quickly.
"Americe, shut up." Thalia said tiredly. She moved a few bags to a safer place, one of them making a sharp, jarring sound. Americe rolled her eyes at her fellow Amazon sister and took off as well.
"How are you holding up?" Joxer asked Thalia, coming up behind her. "Are you...ok?"
Thalia turned. "Why does everyone I love die?" She asked Joxer, feeling that she could show her emotions to him.
Joxer frowned, sighed, and pulled her into a hug. He'd often thought of her as a little sister, and treated Thalia as such. They were family, blood or not. "Not everyone. I'm still here. Can't get rid of Joxer the Mighty." He cracked, trying to make the Amazon girl feel better.
Thalia sniffled once against Joxer, not wanting to give into her grief. She couldn't. Not yet.
They had to get her mother and aunt home to be buried.
"We need to get some sleep." Thalia said, pulling away. "I'm going to find some logs to start a fire, maybe do some hunting. Make sure Americe and Eli don't kill each other ok?"
With a nod, Joxer watched as the young Amazon took her bow and a few arrows with her. He sighed, and went to be peace maker towards another young Amazon and a prophet.
*******
Her footprints visible in the snow, Thalia trained her eyes on the bush. She'd been following a healthy looking white rabbit. It would go fine for dinner tonight, but she'd never be able to season it as well as Gabby did. Gabby could always make rabbit taste so good--
Thalia closed her eyes. She couldn't think of that. Not now. Gabby wasn't here, she was in the Illusion Fields with her mother and Solan. And maybe Thalia's own father, Borias.
Drawing back her bow, Thalia placed an arrow. The rabbit barely moved, but her eye was well trained. She tensed, and let it fly. It hit the white rabbit, showing a bloody pool appear in it's fur.
"That was a nice shot." A voice said from nowhere. "You know, she never understood the warrior you were becoming."
Thalia said nothing. She got up from her crotched postion and went to pick up the rabbit. "Don't you have something better to do?" She turned to face Ares, God of War.
Ares just laughed. "Oh come on. Don't be just like Mom. I'm not really that bad, it's just the circumstances that put me here." he gave her a wink. "Having that for dinner?"
"Nah, I'm pretending it's a Roman Soldier." Thalia tore her arrow out of the rabbit, wiping the blood on the leaves of the bush. "Really, what do you want?"
"Is she really dead?" Ares asked.
"I helped pull her cold body off a cross. Ask me again."
"I wanted to know. I never thought she could be defeated. She was too smug, too good."
"I think the same things, but she was brought down by Callisto. I saw it all. Callisto somehow had her Chakram and it broke her back...and then Gabrielle went ballistic, and killed all the Romans in the area, or as many as she could." Thalia explained, feeling herself start to waver. She sucked in a deep breath and tried to stand her ground.
There was a peculiar look on Ares face. If Thalia didn't know better, she'd swear it was almost...grief. Then, something crossed Thalia's mind. "You--you can bring them back though, right Ares?" She asked, desperate. "You're a god; surely you have that power!"
Ares eyed the young woman. "It's not my domain." He said, almost in a gentle voice. "It's Hades domain and I doubt he will let them cross back. Something probably about it was their time."
Thalia closed her eyes again, her body trembling. A moment passed, her eyes opened. "Is there anyway I can bring her back?"
The god of war eyed the daughter of his greatest warrior. For once, they were united in a common goal; to bring Xena back.
"There's a way." Ares agreed. "It's an old way and doubtful that it would even work. You could bring something...worse...back."
"As long as I bring my mother and Gabrielle back then it would be worth it." Thalia exclaimed passionately.
Ares thought a moment. "If you're insisting on this...then so be it." He said. "I have a few people to talk to right now, Caesar included, but I'll return. Watch out for me."
"Wait I thought--"
Before Thalia could finish, Ares vanished in blue lights, the sound of bulls charging going with him.
"Wait!" She called desperately, her hope revived.
"Thalia?"
The Amazon turned to see her fellow sister Amazon, Americe. "What are you doing?"
Brushing her face, Thalia picked up the rabbit. "Hunting. I figured we could make a stew, it would last longer and we can travel with it."
Americe nodded. "Come on. We can eat now, and start to move onwards."
Thalia followed Americe back to the temple that now served as their camp, wondering what Ares had in mind for her. The idea of having Xena and Gabrielle back were so great that she didn't care about the reprecussions at all. Just to see her mother, have her hug her again...
It would be worth it.
Wouldn't it?
TO BE CONTINUED