Characters belong to to their respective owners, I'm just having fun with them for a little while.

Gabrielle stared out over the ocean, the sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon. The green eyes of the young woman softened as she turned to retire below deck for the night, the boat trip to Egypt had become quiet about a day in.

The bard could no longer feel Xena's presence and she felt the weight of the loss of her lover in full affect now, she found herself looking for the warrior and even trying to start conversations to empty rooms and the wrong people.

Sighing she made her way to her cabin and glanced around the modest space, a cot was set against the wall to her right. And there was a small table between the base of the bed and the wall. Setting down the now blown out candle she had in hand Gabrielle then slipped into her shift before laying down. She stared at the ceiling, the wood merely a back drop for her eyes as she mulled over the sudden shift her life had made. She'd told Xena she was going to Egypt, to take up the warrior's chakram and bring order to Rome after Cleopatra's death.

A small groan escaped the bard as she pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes, "How? How am I supposed to do that?" She asked allowed, her voice growing quiet towards the end.

She could feel the fatigue finally hitting her as she lay there, wishing that the strong arms of her warrior held her in a supporting way but fully aware that could not be. Instead she curled into a ball, holding herself as she buried her head further into her feather pillow.

xxx

Gabrielle closed her eyes and waited for Morpheus to once again take her to her dream realm and she could feel her body growing heavier but suddenly she felt as if the bed was gone from beneath her. Her body jerked and her eyes shot open but they were met with nothing but darkness. Blinking and rubbing at her eyes, the bard squinted at her surroundings. She saw nothing, in every direction. Taking in a deep breath she tried to calm herself but she could feel the hairs on the nape of her neck began to rise, "Xena!"

The familiar name echoed around her until it too faded into nothing, Gabrielle shook her head when she could only hear her breathing. "She can't always help..." She muttered under her breath, suddenly a light burst into existence and the blonde shielded her eyes from the sudden brightness.

"W-who's there?" She asked, her voice smaller than she'd heard it in years. She could sense a God was involved but she'd experienced enough with the Warrior Princess to be concerned as to which God it was.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Gabrielle. I am a friend." A soft feminine voice said and just as it spoke a silhouette of a hooded figure came into view.

"A friend?" Gabrielle echoed, squinting harder in an attempt to clear the shadows of the form to discover who it was she was speaking to.

"It doesn't matter who I am, we don't have much time... Or you will no longer exist. Someone is trying to alter our world, your world. They will try to erase you from Xena's history to better their situation. They will change the world but if you interfere there's a chance it won't change for the worse."

"I don't know who you are but you're obviously behind in the facts... Xena is dead. How can someone erase her from my history? Unless..."

"The past is what shall be rewritten and you have to survive and change it, I will give you some of my powers to accomplish this. But you only have three moons to do so and if you fail... Then the world will suffer."

Gabrielle's brow furrowed, she didn't know who this voice was. But it was obviously a woman and she seemed to have good intentions... And what did she have now to lose? All she had in this world was to tell Eve that her mother was dead and that even though she'd had the opportunity to save her... She'd let Xena's guilt cause her untimely demise. If this new world was to happen and she had a chance to be with Xena again she had to take it, she had to save her lover this time.

"I'll do it." Gabrielle responded finally, her eyes brightening with determination.

"Good, I knew you would. And I know that you can do it, you will have to reach Xena... She will no longer be the courageous warrior you loved... But a conqueror and a warlord. But if anyone can do it, you can Gabrielle. Thank you."

Gabrielle tried to move forward after the receding figure but no matter how hard she tried she didn't seem to get any closer to it, "Wait! How will I know what to do or if it's working! And will anyone know who I am? How do I hide myself if they're looking to destroy me!" She cried out, the figure was growing fainter with each passing second.

"My powers will protect you but as they wear off it will grow increasingly dangerous for you... So you must work fast but not so much that you rush Xena, she is in a fragile state and will not trust easily... I will tell you more when the time is right."

And with that the silhouette vanished, as if it were smoke. And Gabrielle was once again left alone in the dark void, her mind a jumble with the new information.

xxx

"Gabrielle!"

The bard in question mumbled and burrowed her head deeper into her pillow, she felt as if she hadn't slept at all. Her head was pounding and her eyes seemed to be shut tight as if she wouldn't be able to open them even if she were to try.

"GET UP!"

The blonde squeaked as she was struck hard with a pillow and she sat up fast, her hands instantly going into a defensive position guarding her head. But she lowered them quickly as she took in her surroundings. She was back in Potidaea, in her parent's home and it was her sister pelting her with pillows.

And with that realization the diminutive bard was on her feet, her own pillow in hand, Lila didn't even see the hit coming. The younger sister suddenly found herself laying on the floor, her shorter sister standing smugly over her.

"Be more respectful to your elders Lila, or you'll be seeing a lot more of this." Gabrielle said with a wide grin, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yeah, yeah...Well, you respect your elders and get dressed! Or mom is going to skin the both of us! Did you forget we were leaving the village today to go to market?" Lilia hissed, wiping off her clothing as she rose from the floor.

Gabrielle bit her lip, her mother was the one person she didn't like to argue with. She sighed and began to pick out clothing for the day, she knew what was happening but she wondered how it was all going to play out. She could feel that her body was not as muscular as it had been before she went to bed, the years of training and the warm sun had not touched this body. Her skin was fair and her muscles average but her mind was as sharp as ever and contained the knowledge of her future.

Turning back to her small bed she moved to fix the covers and when she moved her pillow she uncovered a small pouch. Curious the bard picked it up, it didn't take her long to figure out it's contents. The strong smell of peppermint assaulted her senses as she smiled down at the small pouch, her father had her the peppermint leaves when a traveling salesmen had gone through the town with an abundance of it. It wasn't impossible to get a hold of but it was expensive and typically only used at special dinners and was more common in rich households.

Tugging gently on the string holding the top closed the bard retrieved a small leaf before popping it into her mouth and chewing slightly before sliding it along her cheek. "Okay Lila, I'm ready!" She cried, scurrying towards the front door of the farm house.

Lila wrinkled her nose as Gabrielle rushed passed her, "Ugh, did you really have to bring that awful stuff along? It smells horrible..." The younger girl complained as she struggled to keep up with her sister, the blonde chuckled.

"Sorry, I have to use it before it goes bad... Dad still paid a decent dinar for this 'stuff' you know."

xxx

"GIRLS! What took you so long? We've all been waiting on you two!" Hecuba cried, her hands on her hips. Gabrielle gulped as her eyes fell on her mothers agitated expression, she had fought demons and warlords but she still feared her mother's wrath above all else.

"Sorry mom..." The two girls mumbled as they approached the group, the other women chuckled and gathered their own daughters as they began to head down the road.

Gabrielle kept her eyes trained to the road ahead of them, it had been a straight before but was beginning to wind. She could feel her stomach beginning to twist as an ominous feeling filled her gut, something was going to happen and she was going to be ready. She was also half listening to her mother and Lila talk, she'd missed the sound of her mother's voice. It had been years since she'd heard it and she wanted to remember as much of it as she could. After returning to her child hood home to find that her parent's and Lila's husband had been slain by Gurkahn, Gabrielle had tried to think about her parent's as little as possible to keep from feeling it had been her fault. If she'd been home she could have saved them.

Shaking her head the bard rationalized that if she'd never left home she wouldn't have had the skills to save them and if she'd left home like she had then nothing would have changed. 'I would never leave Xena's side willingly, not anymore.' She thought, tears stinging her eyes as she pushed down the things she could no longer change.

Gabrielle was suddenly snapped from her thoughts as the faint sound of hooves met her ears, there were at least fifteen riders and they were moving quickly. She could tell that they weren't the type of riders that would commonly occupy a small traveling road such as the one they were following.

The young woman grabbed her mother's hand and held it tightly, Hecuba turned to her eldest daughter. Confusion written across her features, "What is it Gabrielle?" She asked, slowing her pace slightly.

"Mom, something isn't right..." She said gently, trying to keep her voice low as to not startle the other women. Hecuba laughed slightly, and squeezed her daughters hand.

"What isn't right sweetie?" She asked in a calming tone, Gabrielle went to answer but before she could even say a word the riders were coming around the bend. They wore black leathers and bright silver armor, their clothing was dyed a deep royal purple. The women of Potidaea cried out in confusion and backed themselves into a tight circle. Gabrielle pushed herself in front of her mother and Lila, her eyes set on the figure in the middle.

The men along the outside edge were obviously of the lowest rank the ten of them had less armor, wore black clothing and were without helmets, behind the outside ten was a group of two in front with less armor and purple clothing without helmets and two helmeted figures behind them. And in the middle atop a white gold mare was a well armored individual with a rather wicked looking sword, Gabrielle's heart skipped a beat.

But her joy was short lived as the deep voice erupted from behind the helmet. "Gather them up." He said nodding to the man on his right, Gabrielle felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

'Ares...' She thought, her jaw set as she watched the man off to the right of the God of war remove his helmet.

"You heard him, get the youngest and prettiest first. Kill the others." The man said with a smirk, Gabrielle grit her teeth together tighter as her eyes fell upon the warlord Draco.

"No! Don't harm them! Please, we'll come with you!" The bard cried as she pushed her way forward to the front of the group, the older women stared in shock at the display but said nothing.

The younger women hugged their mothers goodbye before moving to follow Gabrielle's example, the small group was composed of about six girls aging from fourteen to nineteen.

Draco laughed slightly at how easy the villagers were making his job, "Alright boys, get them so we can get back! It's almost dinner time." Gabrielle watched warily as she and the others were pulled up onto the horses, she sadly watched her mother as the horses began to move away.

Draco and Ares weren't too far ahead and she couldn't help but overhear their conversation, "What do you want us to do with the village?"

"Whatever you want." Ares answered simply, Draco smirked at the God of War's answer.

"What will the Conqueror say?" Draco asked sarcastically, the God of war remained silent as Draco nodded to the man off to his left. "Burn it, and get rid of the old hags back there."

Gabrielle's eyes widened, she could feel the tears welling up as she thought about her situation. She couldn't do anything... Not now, it would blow her cover. And ruin everything and she couldn't let on what was going on or it would panic the other girls. Her heart sank as she forced herself to remain still, trying to push down the bile rising in the back of her throat.

The rest of the ride passed by in a blur, before she knew it Gabrielle found herself in a large camp. Purple banners flying around the edge of the encampment, a silver chakram symbol depicted in the center with an 'x' through it. Gabrielle felt her heart finally rise a little, and her mind distracted from the painful events at the beginning of her ride.

"Take them to the feasting tent, I'm sure Xena will be returning shortly and you know she'll be hungry. And she'll also be angry once she discovers today's events... So I'd like her well fed at least." Ares said before turning and disappearing into a flash of light and sparks.

xxx

The tent the girls were led to was extremely large and Gabrielle's ears flushed slightly as her stomach growled at the smells that assaulted her nose as soon as they were led inside. The guard leading them in moved up to a young woman in peasant clothing, they spoke for a moment before the woman stepped towards them herself.

"Hello, please come this way... We must finish preparing the meal before the Conqueror returns... And we must prepare some of you to serve the Conqueror and her army tonight." There was a small amount of chatter amongst the girls of Potidaea as they were showed the tricks of the feasting tent.

The young woman instructing them turned towards the front of the tent as a horn sounded outside, she turned back towards Gabrielle, Lila and two of the other new girls.

"We have to get ready, now." The young woman said, her voice extremely serious as she made sure her outfit and hair were smoothed out.

"Excuse me," Gabrielle asked trying to catch the woman before she could move away, "I don't think I caught your name?"

"I'm sorry... My name is Leah and you are?"

"Gabrielle, thank you for helping us."

"You're welcome, as long as the Conqueror is around things aren't so bad here... It's the generals you have to watch out for..." Before Leah could finish her sentence she was cut off by the tent flap being pulled back. Two guards moved inside first before holding back the flap for a rather irritated Xena.

Gabrielle's heart stopped, she could feel excitement filling her body as the other woman moved to a far table and settled herself down for her meal. The bard wanted nothing more than to run to the dangerous woman and hold her close but she had to once again hold herself back.

Leah handed her a silver chalice full of dark wine, "Serve it to whoever asks and move quickly and carefully... They've been riding all day and they're easily irritated and flirtatious."

Gabrielle nodded and stood with some of the more seasoned servers already waiting, her heart jumped as Xena raised her hand. "Wine." She said in a low voice, before returning her hand back to her chakram which was casually being spun by the other hand.

The bard twitched to move but stopped as a woman further down the line beat her to it, biting her lip Gabrielle moved back into her spot her eyes following Xena's every movement. The warrior barely even acknowledged the young woman pouring her wine, her eyes still trained on her weapon in a bored manner.

Both women's eyes moved suddenly to the flap of the tent as a group of soldiers entered, two more decorated leading the group. Gabrielle recognized only one of them from her previous life but she was fairly sure she knew the other from Xena's stories.

"Nice of you to wait for your men, Xenaaa." The first man said, taking his seat next to his Conqueror. Xena rolled her eyes before returning her chakram to her hip and nodding towards the servant closest to her again.

"If you idiots didn't take so damn long I wouldn't have been the first one here, Borias." She bit back; the brown haired man chuckled at her foul mood.

"What's gotten you so riled, highness? Your spirits were high not so long ago."

"Ares, he's been meddling again." She answered, her eyes moving towards the group of new hands scurrying around the tent as the soldiers continued to trickle in.

"Where are they from?" He asked, beginning to understand the woman's anger.

"Remember that seer Ares had me talk to? He took Draco and Hector to gather these girls up but apparently they didn't find what they were looking for so they brought me home 'gifts' to make it all better... I will run my army how I want to; I didn't get here just because of that pompous God of War." She growled through her teeth, Borias shook his head and winked at the servant as she was moving to leave.

"All this drama over a little palm reading?"

Xena nodded once again moving her eyes over the new faces; she locked eyes with Gabrielle for a second. Intrigued by the look in the young woman's eyes and the continued eye contact. For once the Conqueror was the one to shift her eyes away, her eyes then moved to Hector who was seated several tables away. The rat had the balls to come to get food after assisting in the little raid earlier; she'd get him in private later to reprimand him.

xxx

Gabrielle was relieved to finally get to move around the tent, she had been getting jittery as she waited off to the side. The meal was being served now and the tent was loud with conversation and laughter. Spirits seemed to be lifted instantly as the wine was poured, the blonde kept a careful watch on the Conqueror's table. But Xena seemed content at the moment, just as the bard was going to turn Borias nodded his head towards her. His lips parting into a wide smile, "May I have some wine?"

Gabrielle moved forward her heart pounding as the icy eyes followed her to the table; Borias was the polar opposite of Xena's current state. He grinned wider as Gabrielle refilled his mug, "Are they treating you well so far, young one?" He asked, his heavy accent making him seem even more cheerful.

Gabrielle nodded and flashed a small smile of her own, Borias nodded towards Xena. "Her highness is good at keeping them in line but don't let that grumpy and arrogant exterior fool you... She's actually quite good company on a better day..."

"Borias..." Xena warned, she watched the faint amusement that shimmered in the green eyes of her new servant. Gabrielle bowed to the two of them as she noticed an argument coming on; she felt her heart sink at their interactions. She remembered their relationship in the past life and wondered if it was the same in this life as well but before she could think about it more she heard an agitated scream over the noise. A familiar scream. She turned towards the sound to see Lila trying to separate herself from a very drunken Hector. He slurred and leered at her as the rest of the men at his table chuckled at his actions. Gabrielle felt her blood boil as she watched the disgusting man manhandle her little sister.

"C'mon sweetie, I'll make sure no one else here lays a figure on you... You just have to promise to be mine! I'll even ask your daddy... Oh, wait!" He cried out, laughing more as he ended his sentence. Lila ignored his comment not realizing what the drunken soldier was talking about; she pulled her hand free roughly only to be caught once more by Hector. He held her tighter this time and when she tried to pull away again he struck her with an open hand. Lila winced as her cheek turned a bright red, individual finger marks standing off of the soft skin of her cheek.

Hector was about to pull his hand back again when a splitting pain erupted across the back of his skull, "Gabrielle!" Lila gasped, her eyes wide as the man fell to their feet with a groan.

Gabrielle glared down at Hector as he moved to rise, "Don't touch her again, pig." She growled out before spitting on him, the man rose to his full height in an attempt to intimidate her. In his drunken stupor he failed to notice how quiet the tent had grown and how closely the Conqueror was watching his actions.

"Watch who you're talking to, cunt." Hector growled as he wiped her spit from his lip, Gabrielle stared at him defiantly. Begging him to try and strike her, she wanted to make sure she covered her own ass and not get herself in trouble too early on.

Growing angry Hector moved to draw his sword and as soon as the tip passed the sheath Gabrielle knocked it from his hand with a well placed hand of her own. Hector grunted in surprise as his sword flew off to the left and slid partially underneath one of the walls of the tent. A snicker passed through the tent at the display and fueled by a drunken rage the man clenched his jaw and his fist before winding back for the strike.

Before it even registered what was happening Hector found himself on his back, his nose gushing from the palm strike he'd just received to the face. The man stared at the blood pooling in his hand in shock for a moment before jumping to his feet, he now only saw red.

The rest of the tent was also oblivious of the Conqueror slowly creeping towards the scuffle, she moved herself slowly along the wall of the tent, her eyes never leaving the scene.

Hector was attacking Gabrielle in a blind rage now, his fists flying every which way in a vain attempt to land a hit on the agile young woman. Gabrielle bided her time until she noticed him starting to tire, she then switched tactics so that she was on the offensive.

The bard landed a quick knee to the stomach and as the warrior was doubled over gasping for breath she brought her elbow down on the back of his head, Hector crumpled to the floor in a heap. And before the bard could blink she felt a very sharp knife being held to her throat and warm breath softly grazing her ear.