An-welcome to the third installment of my series that started with 'The Continuing Adventures of Xena and Gabrielle' and was followed up by 'The Road to Amphipolis'. It is better that you read those two before you start on this one. It has been fifteen years since Xena and Gabrielle learned that because of them the Gods were restored and there was a time of relative peace expected. True to the prophecy there had been peace. Xena and Gabrielle only now spar with one another and the growing Militia. Their children both have traits of each but neither has really known battle. Is that about to change?
A young man with dark hair and green eyes with a round shape to his face held a staff in his hands. His age was just shy of fifteen. He was facing off against a slightly taller young woman of the same age. Her blond hair was braided neatly and the sun sparkled in her blue eyes that were set in a more angular face. She too had a staff in her hand. A blond woman with green eyes and a round face was sitting on a fallen log with her wife, a dark haired woman with blue eyes and an angular face, sprawled on the ground leaning her dark hair against a thigh.
Without a word the younger pair began to spar. The wood made sharp clacking sounds that resounded through the dense forest. Just to the one side was a large cabin that had been built by the hands of the dark haired woman and the blond woman. It was a well-worn circle that had seen hours upon hours of sparring with various weapons. While peace had rained down upon the land of Greece, the dark haired woman and blond woman had a feeling that fighting would be inevitable they just hated to think of the day when their twins would lose their blood innocence.
"Is that all you got sis?" The dark haired boy was giving it his best shot. While he was a capable fighter with almost any weapon his strong suits tended to be the staff in his hands and the sias like his mama. The taunt had the expected result and his sister came at him with a speed and grace that was almost impossible for him to defend. However his mama, the blond woman watching intently, had shown him some tricks to counteract the speed and the height that his sister had on him.
"You talk big for such a little squirt." The dark haired girl smiled. While she was good with the staff her weapon was the sword. She could also hit anything at five hundred yards with an arrow. She was proud that she could out shoot and out wrestle her younger brother. Well he was only younger by about five minutes but she held it against him as much as she could. Her mom had spent time teaching her how to counteract someone that was much shorter. It meant that their matches usually ended in a draw.
Xena, the tall dark haired woman, smiled proudly. Her two children were a gift to her. Her wife gently stroking her hair was a gift to her. Life itself was a gift as she every so often reflected on how many times that the warrior had died and come back. There had always been a reason to come back. That was the woman that she had now been married to for just over fifteen years. Of course they had been together for a lot longer first as friends then as lovers but always as soul mates.
Gabrielle, the shorter blond woman, was smiling as well. While she was proud of her children and their fighting abilities she was more proud that they had never had to actually fight. Oh they had heard her stories and all the battles that their moms had gone through but neither had to pick up a weapon other than to practice. It also made her smile because she knew just how proud her partner was of their children and even more proud that neither had faced fighting for real.
Finally Jasmine just barely got a step on her brother and the staff went flying towards their moms. Xena lazily reached up and grabbed it before it could smack her wife in the face showing reflexes that had slowed very little over the years. "Sorry bout that." The young girl trotted in front of her parents followed by her brother. "Skylar here lost his grip." That earned her a shove from her brother who she shoved back. The sound of the warrior princess clearing her throat and the two children instantly stilled.
"That was a good workout." Xena easily got up off the ground using the staff to aide her. "But you know there's only one person better than both of you with that." Both of the teens rolled their eyes. They'd heard the story over and over again about how on more than one occasion the battling bard had beaten the former destroyer of nations. It got old after a while and yet it gave Skylar heart especially after just having lost to his sister.
Gabrielle stood and brushed herself off. Without a word she pulled both her children into a hug. Then she stood back and looked up at her daughter who was as tall as her wife. "You've been putting in some extra practice. It showed with that last move." Her daughter shrugged as if it was no big deal. That was so much like her wife that it warmed her heart. She turned her attention to her son. "And you've been getting a little out of practice. You been writing again?"
"Yeah. I've been working on a new series of stories. With all the children being born the last few years I thought that we could use some new stories for the younger crowd. Thanks for letting me help out at the school." Skylar was as proud of the fact that he could fight as well as his mama but even more proud that he was a storyteller just like she was. He knew that she was also very proud of that fact though his sister also had a slight gift for words but not quite like he and his mama.
"Why don't we go to the inn?" Gabrielle looked up at the sky. "There's not time for either of my hunters to catch something and for me to cook it now. Perhaps for dinner?" That got an identical chuckle out of both her daughter and her wife. "Let's go see what the village is up to." Xena wrapped her arms around her wife from behind which got a groan from the siblings. "Hey! When you are our age and been through what we have a little hug is a very nice thing. Just be grateful it was only a hug." She winked at her twins.
The group made their way down the slight hill that their cabin was on. Xena had put in wooden stairs and some handrails. During the summer like it was now the slope was not too bad. But during the winter the slope made the climb treacherous at times. Of course with the four of them knowing how to live off the land they could make it almost all winter without the need of going down into the town. In fact, Xena had built a small barn for Argo III, Patches II, Lightning and Thunder their horses so there really was no reason to go to the village. Argo II and Patches were now retired living the life of luxury in the stables in the village below and gave rides to the kids which the horses loved to do.
The village had grown considerably even from what Xena had grown up in. The warrior was glad that it had not exploded into even a larger town like Thessaly or Corinth and definitely glad that it had not grown into another Athens. They had feared with settling down their reputations would draw people from all over. Except for after a couple hard winters where survivors of other villages had wondered in the growth had leveled out.
The inn that had been Xena's mother's and was still intact. In fact, it had been added onto as business steadily had boomed keeping Sarah and Lila and Meg all very busy. In fact they had hired a handful of people both as cooks and servers. There was every imaginable place of business. Liam had built up the blacksmith shop. He ran it with his son Micala that he had with Sarah. Tebis ran the tannery under Xena's brother Toris tutelage. Toris' eye had never recovered sadly but he still had a happy life with his wife Lila. Tebis had married Angela and had a son and daughter.
The foursome made their way to the inn where Xena opened the door for her family and watched them enter. Across the square she caught Virgil's eyes. He had left the village for some time trying to find adventure. He had returned with a wife from the far off land of China and several scars upon his face. He was not ashamed that he was a weaver and because of his wife they had some of the more exotic fabrics in town. They waved at one another before the warrior continued into the inn.
Gabrielle and her twins had sat down next to Gabriel and Xena sat next to the bard putting a hand on her leg under the table. Gabriel had become the healer over the past few years and was almost as good as Xena. He had taken over after the untimely death of Gregrous. The man had caught the coughing sickness but was older and it had taken its toll on him. The young man still came to the warrior if he was not sure how to handle a particular ailment.
Sarah came out of the back and smiled at her family. She motioned to a server who smiled as she saw who it was she was gathering food for. The entire village had become almost like a family and most were proud of the fact that the battling bard and the warrior princess called it home. Sarah took in the disheveled look of her cousins. "I see that you two have been building up an appetite. Let me guess…" She looked from one than the other. "I'd say Jasmine won that round."
Skylar's shoulders slumped just for a moment as he knew he had been had. But he perked up again when a large bowl of beef stew was placed in front of him. He was a lot like his mama both in appetite and the fact that he wore his emotions on his sleeve. His sister was so much like his mother that she had long time ago learned to keep a careful vale. There were only three people that could read what his sister was feeling and they were her family. "She got me. If only barely."
They ate in silence and Sarah left the family to eat alone. Most of their days were spent like this. Gabrielle and Skylar spent a good portion of the day with the kids teaching them and telling them stories. Xena and Jasmine would work either with the militia or they would help out with whoever needed them. During the winter the mother daughter duo would spend a lot of time hunting to keep the large village fed. That was how the village had boomed even in the worst of weather.
Afternoons were usually spent together sparing or riding or whatever their hearts took them. On occasion they would go trek for a few days and spend time with the Amazons. There was a new regent after a hunting accident. A woman that was named after Solari had taken over as regent. She was one of the younger Amazons but she was much like her namesake. She was tough and she was fair and a true warrior. Plus she was totally loyal to Gabrielle and the heir apparent which was Jasmine.
That was the one thing that Xena and Gabrielle hated. They knew it going in if they were to have a daughter that she would one day be in line to take over as queen. However they also knew that they could continue to have a regent in place so that only on occasion would the queen have to be present. It made their lives easier and it made it more pleasant. Truly their lives had been full of peace and contentment over the past fifteen years.
That was until now. Gabrielle felt the hand that was still on her leg tense. That was a feeling she hadn't felt since the last time a certain god had showed up. The feelings of anger started to flow through their connection and she put her hand on the hand on her leg. The warrior relaxed slightly but was still quite tense. Sure enough a cloud of black smoke appeared and as it faded there was Ares. "Hello beautiful!" He was staring at Xena. "You're not so bad looking either Blondie." He looked from one twin to the other. "Boy do you two make great looking kids. Bet you kick ass too!"
"I sure do." Jasmine was standing up and came eye to eye to the god. "You leave my moms alone or I will kick your ass all the way back to Mount Olympus." Gabrielle put her hand over her eyes trying to cover the fit of laughter. Xena smiled big and proud of her daughter who was definitely just like her mother or was that mama? Ares eyes grew wide in shock. "I've heard some of the stories you've put them through. You aren't going to put them through anymore. Not while I'm around!"
In an instant Skylar was standing right behind his sister just barely able to look over her shoulder. His blue eyes were flashing fire in the exact same way that the battling bard would have done. "What she says goes double for me. Plus I can make up some pretty mean stories that will paint you in not such a good light." He crossed his arms over his chest. It was so Xenalike that Ares had to take a couple steps back basically from shock.
Finally Gabrielle stood up and put one hand on her daughter's shoulder and one on her son's. "Ok. Your mother and I appreciate the words but why don't we just settle down and let Ares say something other than how beautiful your two old moms are." They turned around and glared at her. "Compared to you two we are old. Now go sit down and finish your lunch." She felt more than she heard Xena come and stand behind her. "Been a long time since we've seen you or any of your family." This was to Ares.
Ares scratched his beard staring after the terrible two. "Wow! I always knew that combining you two would make an amazing combo but those two are full of spit and fire. They would make great…" Before he could get the word out he felt a slap across his face. That shocked him when he turned to see that it was Gabrielle and not Xena that had dared to touch him. "Or I can settle for the nonstop line of losers since my last chosen." His eyes were directed at Xena.
"Save it, Ares." Xena put one hand on her wife's shoulder. "Like my wife said it's been a long time. Not long enough if you are going to come in here acting like an ass. No wait. That would mean you are acting like yourself!" Ares gave her a warning look. "I'm not scared of you. Gabrielle is not scared of you. Hell our kids are not scared of you. If I have to ask you one more time I'm going to let Gabrielle get her staff and put splinters where you don't want them."
"Wow the years have not mellowed you out." Ares shook his head in disbelief. "I guess what they are saying up there is not true." Xena cocked her head to one side asking a question. "They say you've let yourself get soft." He turned as he heard a distinctive growl. It was not coming from the warrior but from her daughter. To the god it was looking back in time to when he first approached the warrior princess all those years ago. "I didn't believe it." He glared at the mini Xena. "But I am here for a reason.
"You usually are." Gabrielle's voice caught his attention. "Not to be rude and set a bad example for my kids but it's usually for a self-serving reason." Ares eyes grew big. "Well almost every time you showed up you were either trying to recruit Xena and/or me. And if you weren't doing that you were trying to get us involved in something we would rather not be involved." She took a long look into his eyes. "But this is not one of those times. I can see something in your eyes."
The god shook his head. It was a wonder that he never liked dealing with Gabrielle. Not only was she good at words and getting you to do what you wanted she also seemed to have this sight that looked right through what a person was actually saying. Was she part oracle? Perhaps. But for now it didn't matter. All that mattered was why he was here. "As I was saying is I am representing all the gods on Mount Olympus. It seems that another prophecy has come along."
Xena's body stiffened as did the bard's. They both put hands to their temples as both were getting instant headaches. It was almost like watching two people so connected that they were one. They moved as one. They felt as one. They were one. Finally the warrior took a deep breath and exhaled. Her arm instantly went around her wife. She felt more than noticed that her two kids were watching intently. "Do we want to hear about this?"
Ares chuckled a bit. "Well, it does affect you four so I think you not only should want to but need to." The god shifted back and forth. Even though he was a god it was clear that he was not comfortable standing where he was or doing what he was. He had avoided Xena over the past fifteen years. Unfortunately he had drawn the short straw. "Well an oracle that Zeus uses says that once the ones that brought back the gods and peace to Greece turn fifteen war will reign supreme. Now you know I'm all for war but we're talking all-out war. We believe your buddies the Romans are behind it."
That hit the warrior and the bard hard. So many things bad had and a few good had happened because of their dealings with the Romans especially with the long dead Caesar. They were ruthless fighters who had always wanted to invade and keep invading. At one time under Caesar that had almost happened. But the two women had stepped in and stopped that if not directly at least indirectly. That was the last people that they thought that they would have to deal with.
It was Gabrielle that managed to get over her shock first. She took a deep breath to clear her mind. "Is this something that the gods want or don't want." Ares simply shrugged. "Well that helps." She felt a squeeze from the arm around her. "This affects all of Greece. Hades this could affect more than just Greece." The bard turned and looked Xena in the eye. "You know what this most likely means." Their eyes met and an unspoken word went through their connection. It was in a whisper barely even audible to the warrior princess. "Are children are going to know war."
It hit Xena in the gut not that she had not known what the bard was going to say. She knew what the bard was going to say and still it was a shock to the system. It was not like her kids had not heard the stories. Gabrielle had not been shy in telling them almost all the stories from their travels together. The warrior herself had presented them with the facts of her life before she had met their mama. They knew not only the warrior princess that had sought redemption but the reason that she had sought redemption.
Partly they had decided to tell them and when they were around ten they did because they knew that eventually someone would tell them what had transpired so many years ago. But more importantly they wanted them to know what it had taken to shape their mother into the woman she was now. The bard had told the story of her growing up in the small town of Potadeia as well as growing up traveling with their mother. They held nothing back not even the fact that they had both died and come back.
So now they were faced with a choice if they were to believe what Ares was telling them. They could just let things go and come what may or they could go out in the world and sacrifice not only their happiness but the lives of their children and themselves. Xena looked at the god of war for a moment before she spoke. "No offense but what proof is there that this will come true?" Gabrielle was still looking up at her wanting nothing more than to run to their hut and snuggle together.
Ares shrugged his shoulders. "I could have sis come and confirm it." That got him a look. "But it'd still be the same thing. It's us gods telling you that you are in danger. That we actually do care. And I know that after how most of us treated you that's hard to believe." He took a step closer. "After you bringing back my father and the rest well they really looked inside themselves. Or maybe it was the fact that they had actually had to face mortality like I did once upon a time. Whatever the reason they wanted me to bring you this warning."
With that the god of war disappeared into a puff of black smoke. Xena and Gabrielle slowly returned to their seats. They found eyes and faces that look so similar to either themselves or the other that it hurt thinking about harm coming to them. But they were the children of the Battling Bard of Potadeia and the Warrior Princess. Had it really been realistic to think that they would forever be able to keep them from violence? After all it had been their decision to teach them how to fight. Had they known this day was coming?
"Let's go up to the cabin." Xena felt all eyes on them and decided it would be better to discuss this in private. So the family of four slowly made the short trek to their hillside home that looked down on the village. Instead of going into their hut they all went into the stable. Each went to their horse and started to either brush or comb or water or feed their assigned horse. "So…" The brush strokes were almost getting on the warrior's nerves.
"So…" Gabrielle returned. She had patted Patches on the shoulder after having given her a fresh batch of oats to eat. The bard watched her children. It was eerie just how much they reflected a little of herself and her warrior in them. As far as taking them into battle she was certain they had the strength and the knowledge to handle anything. It was more Xena and herself that she worried about. "What do you two think about all of this?"
As always Jasmine was the first to speak. She looked over Lightning's back and smiled at her mama. "I know you never wanted us to fight. I know it was not because you thought we couldn't but because you never wanted us to have blood on our hands." The story of Dahok and their half-sister Hope and their half-brother Solon was one of the stories that their mama had told a lot. Perhaps it was so that they would know what it was like to lose your blood innocence. "But if it's for the greater good I think we should. What about you, lil brother?"
Skylar, as usual, scowled at the nickname. It was not his fault he was born just a few minutes later than his sister and was about five inches shorter. But he knew it made him closer to his mama and he liked that thought not that he didn't love his mother. It was just that he and his mama had much more in common. "You know I don't relish the fight as much as you do, String Bean but I agree with you whole heartedly. Since we were little you've been telling us about the greater good. I think it's time that the children of the two greatest warriors ever followed in their footsteps."
It was just like that. The two were so much like their parents it wasn't even funny. They were just coming to the age that Xena had gone off and started fighting. They were the same age as Gabrielle had been when she had decided to wander the world after a half crazy ex warlord. If they had been mature enough to make those decisions shouldn't their children be? Shouldn't they be allowed to decide what their lives were going to be like?
Blue eyes met green ones. Gabrielle smiled and so did Xena. It was a very hard thing to decide but in the end they knew that their children would be just like them. So if they were going to go and save the world they might as well go as a family. Xena was the one that found her voice first. "Well, you two are chips off the old blocks. Crazy just like we've always been." That got a laugh out of her wife. "Everyone pack. Looks like we're heading for Rome."