GENERAL COPYRIGHT/DISCLAIMER:
Xena: Warrior Princess, Gabrielle, Argo and all other characters who have appeared in the syndicated series Xena: Warrior Princess, together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.
LOVE/SEX WARNING/DISCLAIMER:
This story depicts a love/sexual relationship between two consenting adult women. If you are under 18 years of age or if this type of story is illegal in the state or country in which you live, please do not read it. If depictions of this nature disturb you, you may wish to read something other than this story.
A Promise Forged by BlueSappho
CHAPTER 1
Callisto laughs sinisterly at the image below her: Xena on the end of a vine, struggling to keep herself and some stray-girl from plummeting to her death. Xena, hearing the shrill-chuckles coming from her sordid counter-part, channeled the adrenaline coursing through her veins and hurled Cerafin up over the cliff to solid ground once again. With a strong jerk of the protruding root she'd been clinging to, she pulled herself up into several flips to stand before Callisto. "Ayiyiyiyiyiyiyiyi!"
She applauds Xena mockingly. "Oh, well done Xena." The Warrior Princess, prepared for battle, stands her full height and glares fiercely into her enemy, able to control her rage only by her many years of practice, "I'm not here to fight with you Xena", she tucks her blonde hair behind her ear to show that in her immortal state she remains unthreatened by the once stronger warrior, "I just wanna chat."
"Let me guess, things didn't work out with Hope quite the way you expected."
"No, actually, the sight of her and Ares rolling around like weasels made me sick." She sounds truly disgusted as she curls her fingers in her casual spider-like manner.
"Hope and Ares?" Gabrielle pipes in, holding Cerafin by the collar, now struggling to keep her spell-induced friend in place.
"Yes, Gabrielle," she faces her, hands rubbing together as in a delicious scandal, hoping to make the strawberry-blond writhe inwardly, "it seems your daughter's in heat."
Xena diverts the psyche attack by reminding Calisto her purpose, "So you're switching sides . . . again."
"For a price . . . I help you put Dahak back in the bottle and you help me die." Xena says nothing, meaning for her to continue, "I figure you gotta beat on that Heinz Blood Dagger. Hercules probably told you where it was . . . can kill a god you know?", she looks at Gabrielle, wanting the idea to creep and kindle in her mind; convert her from her kinder nature as she feels the hate for her ex-husband's murderer. She saw a fire flare in the blue-green eyes. She addresses Xena again, "So how 'bout it? I scratch your back . . ." she closes in on the Warrior Princess, hoping to unease her with a nearness so sensual, "you stab mine."
Xena doesn't falter. She takes a teasing yet cold tone of her own, "What's the matter? Existence getting to be a bit of a burden?"
"Yes, honestly . . . I yearn for oblivion . . . annihilation . . . peace if you will."
"You helped that demon kill my son; you think I'm gonna help you find peace?"
"Then I'll just go back and do Hope's bidding."
"Do that. I've beaten you before; I can do it again."
Cerafin jerks free from Gabrielle's grip. "Cerafin!"
"Let her go!" Gabrielle stops her beginning sprint at her friend's command. "She'll only slow us down; she's doomed anyway; we can't stop Hope." The warrior stares through Calisto, making the confident blond unseemly shiver. "May you live forever."
Gabrielle runs to catch up with Xena.
"What do you mean 'we can't stop her'?" They stop at Argo and the warrior searches through their saddle bags. "There has to be a way." Gabrielle says more to herself than Xena. A vision of Hope fills Gabrielle's mind: a copy of herself in a red, silk robe, levitating above the flame engorged city of Athens: Bodies burning, running from the Daughter of Dahak, their pain slowly bringing death. Hope rises high above her world, head thrown back, laughing manically as her six destroyers rummage through the town, tearing away it's seams, bringing chaos, the end of the world! Guilt eats away at Gabrielle's soul. She is her mother. If she had killed Hope as a baby like Xena told her to, if she hadn't been so easy to trick into giving her blood innocence to Dahak, if she hadn't gone to Britannia . . .
"Gabrielle? . . . Gabrielle!" Swirling down deeper into a dark pit of despair, she falls, deeper, and deeper and deeper . . . Gabrielle almost swoons, feeling dizzy. Luckily she stays standing as strong arms support her, "Gabrielle . . . Gabrielle", gently the sound of her name from the warrior pulls her up to the present. She is saved. 'My hero', the Bard cuddles in closer to her friend. Xena always gives her just what she needs, knows just what to do to make her feel safe, and loved. Gabrielle basks in the warmth radiating from the ex-warlord and the embrace she envelopes her in now, melting away her bone chilling thoughts. All her fears are forgotten, leaving only room for Xena in her mind and her heart. She relaxes to an almost weakened state. She would surely fall to her knees, but Xena never relinquishes her hold on the Bard 'till she is sure she is in balance with her again. Xena has come to believe that Gabrielle is and will always be her flame, her source of power, and since the beginning has illuminated her life with such intensity that she will never again fall back into the darkness. Whatever had Gabrielle at such a state made the warrior's heart ache. Suddenly her only purpose was to keep Gabrielle, the light of her life, from going out. She consoled her, stroked her hair, and cradled her in her arms. She felt helpless. She wished she could fight Gabrielle's demons for her, but all she could do was hold the Bard, anchor her, and keep her form drifting away. She couldn't lose Gabrielle. She held her tighter. Gabrielle tilted her head to look up into the beautifully chilled blue eyes she knew would be searching desperately into hers for any sign that she'd be OK.
It always amazed Gabrielle: no matter how much she prepared or how aware she was of the strength of a stare from the Warrior Princess, each and every time she was blown away. So intense. So intimidating. But when looking down at her from the warrior's six feet: so soft, caring. She saw the world over it vast oceans, blue. She loved those eyes. Xena unintentionally let out a sigh of relief as her friend found peace. Despite her stoic nature, it came, and filtered out all the tension . . . almost. She lessened her now tight grip, hoping she hadn't hurt what she still considered a fragile package: an overly capable Amazon Princess with matching combat skills, chiseled to near perfection from sparring and being critiqued by the legendary warrior. She saw her smile. Xena thought with only her smile she could light the world. 'She's making me soft.'
"I called your name." She placed a hand on the Bard's cheek and looked deeply into her eyes, searching back and forth. "I lost you for a moment." Gabrielle reached up and covered the hand on her cheek with her own, love shining back at her warrior through her eyes. Xena released her, as the touch gripped at her heart, slowly crushing its defending walls. The warrior turned away to fight back tears with a fury. A whisper: "Don't scare me like that!" she chastised, looking briefly over her shoulder at the Bard. The breath she held to force back her tears was finally released. Her chest rose and fell, catching as much air as her lungs would hold, all with a quiet grace. Gabrielle went to her and put a gentle hand on her back. She knew Xena's pain, and how much energy it took her to release her emotions. She soothed her champion with her voice.
"It's OK . . . I'm fine . . . we're OK." The warrior woman suddenly turned and grabbed her, wrapping her Bard in an impossibly fiercer and more intimate embrace than before,
"Gods Gabrielle . . ." She stepped back and locked gazes with her friend, still holding her fore arms. 'You make me weak; I'm nothing without you; you are my world; I love you!' Her mouth opened but nothing came. She played lost as she did indeed get lost in incredible emerald green eyes. Gabrielle cupped Xena's face in her hand.
"I know." She pulled her in to hug her, laying her head on the warrior's chest. 'No you don't.'
"Why can't I come with you?" Gabrielle was frustrated; Xena was treating her like a child.
"I have to do this alone." The warrior reached into the saddle bag and recovered what she'd been looking for, though she was already adorned with all the weapons she possessed.
"I thought we were past this. I'm more than capable of defending myself Xena. It's not your job to protect me." Xena spoke softer,
"I know." she touched the Bard's arm and looked into her eyes to let her know she spoke the truth. "I just can't risk . . . you being a distraction . . . Now don't give me that look." Gabrielle scowled at the warrior, at the notion that Xena would think she'd be in the way. "If Hope were to use you to test my resolve she would surely see right through me . . . I wouldn't be able to fake that I don't care for you." The Bard was slightly shocked at Xena's confession. 'Does this mean what I want it to?' The idea was pushed back, hidden again with her feelings. Any shimmer of hope the warrior might see in her eyes would blow her cover.
Gabrielle's expression went to one of regret. She understood that Hope would play dirty,
"I'm sorry. I should have known . . ." Gabrielle looked away.
"It's alright Gabrielle." She took the Bard's wrist and turned her palm upward. She put her clenched fist in Gabrielle's and dropped a mysterious token into her hand. When the Amazon went to examine the foreign object: "You keep this with you. I'll be back by the full moon. This will tell you when I am near."
"A coin?" Gabrielle finally saw the token. Small; gold and silver intertwined in a pattern much like the one on Xena's chakram. In the middle lay a sapphire, round and facet. On the rim, various designs made up the most of the coin. Letters of some language even the Bard didn't recognize, circled around, and stamped into the same polished bronze that made up Xena's breast plate.
"When the time comes you will know . . . everything."
Gabrielle both hated and loved when her warrior went cryptic. "OK" She looked back at Xena.
Xena covered her friend's cheek, and then pulled her gently by the neck to place a kiss on top of her head. "Go to the next village; Argo will take you; wait for me there." Then, like the breeze that had carried these whispered words, warm and sweet, to the Bard's ear, the warrior was gone.