What kind of trouble can a single apple cause? Plenty if Gabrielle is involved. This story is the product of two bored bards and was jointly written by Kikilia 14 and Stardawn19. Enjoy!
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Xena, Gabrielle, Argo, and their world are owned by Universal Studios. We simply borrowed them for this story and a little bit of fun. We promise to put them back when we are done. Ladon, Hera, and Hesperides are characters from Greek mythology and were not harmed during the writing of this story.
The Apple
"Gabrielle, please get down from there. You're gonna fall."
"Relax, Xena, I'm fine," Gabrielle returned, moving a boot to a higher branch and readjusting her balance. "Just a little more," she mumbled. The apple she was reaching for was just a little out of her reach.
"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" Xena challenged.
Gabrielle took a moment to glance down and immediately wished that she hadn't. She gripped the branch she was holding and pulled her body closer to the trunk of the tree. She didn't realize she was so far up, and seeing Xena with her hands on her hips, so far below, caused a wave of dizziness to wash over her.
Seeing her partner pale, Xena grabbed a low lying branch. "That's it, I'm coming up,"
"No, I'm fine. I'll be down in a minute." Gabrielle closed her eyes, forcing her head to stop spinning. Once clear, she opened her eyes once more and refocused on the apple in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she managed to reach a little higher. Standing on a tip toe and balancing her weight with her other foot, she was able to knock the apple loose. "Head's up," she warned, as the apple fell to the ground.
Gabrielle scanned the surrounding branches, frowning seeing them all bare. "I don't see any more. I'm gonna head down."
"Be careful," Xena warned.
Gabrielle rolled her eyes at the warning, but started to make her way back down the tree with all due caution. She managed to reach the ground without trouble, and was just getting ready to celebrate her victory when her foot got tangled in a root that was sticking up at the base of the apple tree. Feeling herself fall, Gabrielle yelped and landed flat on her face, her ankle throbbing and her dignity broken.
Xena rolled her eyes and reached down, offering the bard a hand up.
"Don't you dare," Gabrielle warned seeing the 'I told you so' look in her partner's eyes, before she accepted the hand up. "At least I managed to get us something to eat. Don't didn't see you bring back anything from hunting."
Xena leaned over picking up the single apple off the ground, and raised an eyebrow at the bard. "And what are we going to do with this, make a pie?" the warrior teased before using her dagger to cut it in half and offer the bigger piece to the bard.
Biting into the apple thoughtfully, Gabrielle limped toward Argo. "No pies warrior, but I'm thinking that half an apple beats nothing of wild game any day."
Her smirk turned into a look of panic as Xena lifted her onto Argo unexpectedly. "Xena, what are you doing?" she demanded as the warrior climbed on behind her.
"Letting your ankle rest and getting us out of these woods. Something doesn't feel right." The warrior looked around quickly before urging Argo forward. "Besides, there's a small inn about two candle marks away, we should make it before nightfall and just in time for the evening meal."
Leaning into Xena, Gabrielle smiled. "Well, since you put it that way, I guess riding Argo is simply something I'll have to suffer through."
No sooner had Gabrielle spoken when a loud clap of thunder rattled through the woods. Gabrielle found herself involuntarily clutching tightly to Xena's hands, turning slightly to hide her face in the warrior's chest.
"Hey now," Xena patted the bard's hands reassuringly. "No need to panic, Gabrielle. It's just thunder."
The bard looked up. The fact that there wasn't a cloud in the sky wasn't lost on her. "Yeah, thunder, so where's the approaching storm Xena?" The bard asked suddenly shivering as the temperature dropped faster than she had ever known it to before.
"Relax Gabrielle. It's probably still miles away, which is why we're hearing it instead of seeing it," the warrior responded before throwing her own worried look toward the sky.
Another rumble of thunder shook the sky and Argo startled as a streak of lightening suddenly lit the area around them. "Easy girl," Xena commanded, patting Argo's neck.
Spying an opening in the hills around them, Xena led Argo toward it, smiling when it turned out to be the mouth of a large cave. Guiding the horse inside, she dismounted before helping Gabrielle down. "I think it's best if we wait the storm out here."
The bard nodded. "I think you're right Xena. I've never seen a storm move up that quickly."
Once inside the cave Xena insisted that Gabrielle sit and elevate her ankle as the warrior started setting up a basic camp. Between the bard's ankle and not knowing how long they storm would last, she had decided it was best to just spend the night.
Xena had gotten all the bags off Argo and had just started a fire when the ground suddenly started to shake. It shook, stopped, and shook again, each tremor seeming moving closer. With a start, both women realized that it wasn't coming from outside, but somewhere deep within the depths of the very cave they were occupying.
"What is that a giant?" Gabrielle suddenly squeaked.
"No, don't be ridiculous, Gabrielle," Xena returned. "Whatever that is, it's bigger than a giant."
"Xena, if it's not a giant, what could it be? A manticor?"
"Imaginary," the warrior answered, carefully studying the deep darkness of the cave behind them
"What about a griffin?"
"No. No griffin was ever that big, and besides they are extinct"
The bard's eyes suddenly went big. "Oh, what if it's a fire breathing hydra?"
Xena rolled her eyes. "Hydras don't breathe fire, Gabrielle."
"How do you know, have you ever seen a hydra?"
"As a matter of fact, I… never mind, whatever it is, it's getting closer."
Suddenly a large shadow became visible in the back part of the cave, just playing off the small flames from Xena's fire. Xena stood, defensively putting herself between Gabrielle and the shadow as fierce roar echoed through the cave. Not wasting a moment, Xena drew her sword and charged toward the sound.
"Xena!" Gabrielle shouted as the woman disappeared into the darkness. In the panic, Gabrielle forced herself up and managed to grab her staff. She was just about to charge after her partner when she heard Xena call out.
"I'm alright!" The warrior's voice was calm and reassuring, but Gabrielle gasped when she saw Xena reemerge moments later being followed by what looked like one very sleepy dragon.
It was a huge four legged beast, with shimmering scales that reflected the fire light. His huge leathery wings, which were folded neatly across his back, matched the rainbow glittering of his scales. His head resembled the shape of a camel, and it was big enough that he could easily gotten his jaws around Argo if he so chose. His eyes, though, were a gentle grey and Gabrielle, strangely enough, didn't feel threatened. Shifting her attention back to her partner, she asked, "Xena?"
The warrior gave a shrug. "Gabrielle, meet Ladon. Ladon, Gabrielle."
The bard's brow wrinkled for a moment. "Ladon? As in the dragon that guards the Garden of Hesperides? I thought you were supposed to have 100 heads and never sleep."
The dragon gave a large yawn. "Yes and no. I am that same dragon, but the 100 heads it's just the bards making me seem larger than life. I mean what kind of story I would be if everyone knew I was just an ordinary enchanted dragon?"
Gabrielle hobbled over to where Xena had casually sat down next to the fire and joined her. "An enchanted dragon? What do you mean? Oh, maybe I should get out a scroll, this is going to make a great story."
The dragon groaned, flopping down on the far side of the fire. He took up the entire side of the cave, but managed to tuck up his legs, like a dog, and seemly took up much less space than he should have. "Don't tell me, you're a bard," he stated flatly before yawning once again.
"Well as a matter of fact I am, so I want to know all about it. You really guard Hera's apples of immortality?"
"Yes. Apples, apples, always apples. Whenever someone eats one of Hera's precious apples, I get woken up and I'm not able to sleep again until I get restitution for the thievery."
Xena and Gabrielle exchanged a look. "What kind of restitution do you need?" Gabrielle asked hesitantly.
"Oh, you know, the usual. A pound of flesh, an eye for an eye, that sort of thing."
"You can't be serious," the bard stammered, as she felt Xena tense next to her.
The dragon chuckled. "Nah, thing is, I don't care much about the restitution. I usually just scare who ever enters my garden off. You see, Hera turned me from a simple villager into this dragon and I'd just like to go back home."
Xena had been watching the interaction closely and finally spoke. "Didn't Gabrielle say something about the apples you guard making people immortal."
"Yeah, afraid so. Did you both eat one? I know someone did." He yawned again and a sputter of smoke came from his throat.
Shaking her head, the warrior stood and began to pace. "Not exactly. We shared one."
"Well then, I'm sorry to disappoint you. You'll age a little slower than most, and live a bit longer, but no immortality to deal with."
"What exactly do you mean by aging slower and living longer?" Xena asked as she turned to face him.
"Oh, you'll grow one year older about every 5 years and I imagine you'll live to see at least 150."
"Great," Xena mumbled. "Please tell me there is a way to reverse this."
"Nope, sorry. Welcome to my world. Curse of the apples and all that."
"Well, it could be worse," Gabrielle smiled. I can imagine worse curses then to be stuck with you for the next 120 years," she teased Xena as the warrior just rolled her eyes.
"So," Gabrielle continued, "Seems like we have a lot of time on our hands, so what can we do to help you? We happen to know a little bit about gods and their curses, and we know there is always a way to break them."
"I doubt that, but if you must, my curse is the usual cliché. Something to do with a true love kiss, the thing is, nobody has ever stuck around long enough to try and help me out. Much less kiss me."
"Well if a kiss is all you need, I can fix that," Xena declared. She then stood again and walked over to the dragon. "Okay then Ladon, pucker up."
"What?" He suddenly tried to shrink away, but not before the warrior managed to kiss him rather amorously on the snout.
Blowing on her nails as she walked away, Xena smirked. "That should do the trick. That kiss stopped armies mid war."
Ladon whistled releasing a small puff of smoke. "Not that it wasn't appreciated, warrior, but I don't think it worked. I mean, I still have scales."
Turning, Xena shrugged and sat down again. "Well you can't say I didn't try."
Gabrielle shook her head. "No, you certainly can't say that. However, Ladon said it had to be a true love kiss. Unless I'm wrong, you don't love him, right?"
Xena looked at the bard, as if she'd suddenly grown a second head. "Of course not. You know I love you."
"Glad we've re-established that after your display of affection for the dragon." Gabrielle muttered. Turning to Ladon she asked another question. "Did you ever have a true love?"
The dragon blushed. "Yeah, a cute young thing by the name of Rufus."
The bard and warrior looked at each other before Xena shrugged once again.
"Well no wonder it didn't work. You have many skills, warrior, but obviously not the equipment that Ladon's true love would require."
Xena snorted at the bard's comment, not at all amused. "Not like you do either, and I would know," she added as a rib.
It was then Gabrielle's turn to roll her eyes. "No, there has got to be another way around this. Remember Cecrops, Xena? He had to learn to love himself. Maybe that is what Ladon needs to do."
"I doubt it. Cecrops was deep into self-guilt and pity about his predicament. Ladon doesn't seem to have that problem."
The huge dragon snorted, again smoke puffing out his nose. He had almost fallen asleep, but the chattering of the two women were keeping him up. "Maybe if you two would settle down, I could just get back to sleep and you can go enjoy your extended life somewhere away from here."
"Wait, we can't go anywhere until after the storm passes anyway. At least give us until then to try to help you," Gabrielle implored. "What do you really have to lose?"
The dragon give a low sigh, "Very well, as it seems like I am stuck with you."
"Ladon," Xena asked. "Tell us about the curse that Hera placed on you. I need to know her exact wording."
"Well, let's see, since I was recovering from being caught by Hera and had just turned into a dragon, I'm not sure I can give you the exact wording. I mean even Zeus would have been shaking at that point."
"Try."
"Fine. Let's see. I was in the middle of the orchard cowering and she pointed her finger at me and grinned. Those eyes penetrating to my soul….and then she said, 'Only when you see true loves' kiss can you be released from me.'"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ladon. That must have been so hard for you," Gabrielle sympathized, slowly rising and limping toward the dragon. She couldn't help planting a tender kiss on his nose. Rubbing the spot she had kissed, she gave the dragon a gentle smile, before returning to Xena and sitting in the woman's lap.
"It's okay, at least the two of you were willing to help." His wings rose half-way before folding onto his back again in the dragon version of a shrug.
"Xena, there must be something we can do for him."
Xena tapped her fingers on her chin in thought. "There is always something to these riddles from the gods. You sure she said the words 'see true loves kiss'?"
The mighty dragon shook his head. "It was so long ago, it's hard to remember, but I believe those were her words."
"Well I suppose there is one way to test that theory," Xena replied as she stood. Turning toward the bard, the warrior raised a single eyebrow.
Gabrielle shifted nervously, the eyebrow and the mischievous glint in her partner's eye, surely signaling trouble.
"Xena?" she couldn't help but squeak.
Xena descended on her prey with all the vigor and furiousness that she always had when she hunted. Her prey, squealed once again as Xena grabbed the bard's arm and lifted her to her feet. Careful to support the weight against her own body, as to not further injury the bard's ankle, Xena pulled Gabrielle closer.
Gabrielle's eye widened in surprise as the warrior suddenly twisted her, dipping her in a long and velvety kiss.
Ladon's eyes also widened, echoing the bard's, in surprise as Xena slowly raised Gabrielle upright once again. Stumbling a bit, Gabrielle reached out to Xena for support before grinning. "You're right, that kiss could stop a war."
"I'll say." Turning, the bard and warrior grinned for Ladon was now standing on two legs instead of four. "It worked," he stammered in shock. "I'm human again," he beamed starting at his hands in delight. "How can I ever thank you?"
Gabrielle giggled, "No need to thanks us…"
"…it was our pleasure," Xena ended the bard's sentence that mischievous glint rekindling as she caught Gabrielle's eye once again.
"Well," Landon began, suddenly starting to feel like a third wheel. "I suppose this is retribution enough for that apple. It seems as if the skies have already started to clear." He shuffled his feet for a moment, not sure if Xena and Gabrielle had even heard him. "I think it's time for me to return home, maybe if I'm lucky, Rufus will still around."
Gabrielle suddenly broke her gaze with Xena to regard the former dragon. "You be careful out there," she warned. "Try to stay away from gods and curses."
"Ah, yes. That I will do. Thank you both again, for everything."
"No problem," Xena answered, exchanging a small nod with the man as he exited the cave. "So, how's the ankle feeling?" Xena asked, turning her attention back to the bard.
"Ankle? What ankle?"
"The one you hurt earlier when you fell out of the tree."
"I didn't fall, Xena. I tripped, AFTER I got out of the tree."
"Ah, my mistake," Xena replied. "Well I think it's best for you to stay off of it, just in case. Oh, say for the next day or so, at least."
"You think so huh? Planning to entertain me while I recuperate?" Gabrielle teased.
"Thought maybe we could entertain each other."
"Hmmm, perhaps," Gabrielle contemplated. "But since I'm the injured one, maybe you should entertain me first?"
"Well then, my bard," Xena returned. "Let's get you off that ankle." She then bent and made Gabrielle squeal in surprise as she lifted the bard off the ground and carried her over to where she'd laid the bedroll. Lying Gabrielle on the bedroll, Xena raised her eyebrow and grinned before joining her.