Gabrielle turned to Xena, ignoring the glare of the firelight in her eyes.
"Xena," she started, disturbing the quiet of the night. Xena turned, first her head over her shoulder, and then her whole body until she faced her blonde friend. "This battle that we're going into tomorrow… Are the odds still against us?" Xena cast her friend what was meant to be a sympathetic smile, but Gabrielle knew her warrior princess better than that. That smile was half-hearted, warm but hiding something crucial. In small increments, Gabrielle's heart began to sink into her stomach.
"Gabrielle, there is no battle that is easy," the warrior woman said. "But as long as we work together, you me and our army, we'll be victorious." The blonde bard did not like Xena's wording. 'Victorious' was not 'just fine', or 'safe again', or 'okay'. Of course, she knew better than to believe that there would be no death in this little war, but… It wasn't just anybody's death that she was concerned. She thought back a few months before this night when the topic had first been discovered. She remembered the day quite clearly…
Xena and Gabrielle came upon a small, no-name town on their way towards the next large city. As always, they stopped to replenish their goods and their energy, taking advantage of the hospitalities of society.
"Gabrielle, meet me at that tavern down there just beyond that bridge and I'll stock up on food and supplies… I need to get Argo shod, too, while we're here."
"Alright," Gabrielle said with a nod, and then headed off to the tavern. She smiled as she neared the place, excited beyond words to get something good to eat. She was hungry, like a rabid beast, and plotted to consume everything the tavern had to offer.
Upon entering the establishment, Gabrielle was greeted by a few smiles and nods, but none of these greetings measured up to that from the woman who approached her directly.
"Hey there, darlin'," she woman sang. She was a relatively small thing, a few marks shorter than Gabrielle, and stocky with strong limbs, ample curves and a round, pretty face. She was blonde, like Gabrielle, and her eyes were dark brown. "I'm the owner of the tavern. My name is Azhara. Where would you like me to put you?" Gabrielle ended up in the corner of the building near the front and her table didn't sit empty for very long. In a few moments it was buried in food dishes, in which the bard indulged immediately. She even called for wine, figuring it was a special occasion since she and Xena hadn't seen a town in Zeus knew how long. The blonde enjoyed every bite, the atmosphere too, and once she had finished stuffing her face she even managed to get the attention of those near by with a good story.
"I sing of Xena, Warrior Princess," she began, smiling at the effect her into had on her growing audience, "Defender of the North Star. One day, Aphrodite stole the Mystic Diamond from the Temple of the Heavens and the light from the North Star went out. The void in the skies doomed travelers on both land and sea to be forever lost without their guide until it was returned. But Xena knew this, and so with my help and the help from our occasional friend, Joxer, we went out to set things right again. But Aphrodite had other plans for us. When inside one of her temples, the Goddess of Love cast a spell over us three, clouding our minds each with individual and unique obsessions. But this distraction was no match for Xena, and she struggled through the mighty spell and eventually cast the diamond back into the sky. After that she helped Joxer and myself release our obsessions, and our minds were restored to normalcy. Once thinking clearly, however, Joxer realized that he had to return home to deal with family matters, and Xena and I finally, and by the Gods do I mean finally, were able to get some nice-" Gabrielle's story was cut short when the attentions of her audience were suddenly directed elsewhere. Through the main entrance marched Xena, her face displaying a multitude of emotions. It seemed effortless for her to locate Gabrielle, which she did almost instantly, and she was at the bard's side in a few paces. "…Xena-"
"There's something I need to talk to you about, Gabrielle. It's very important and needs to be done in private." The warrior woman smiled sarcastically at the men and women that had gathered around her companion during the blonde's tale, grabbing hold of the bard's wrist as she stood. Quickly, Gabrielle paid the bill and let Xena drag her out of the tavern, trying to ignore the protest against an unfinished story. The people inside didn't really need to hear the rest, she supposed. They had gotten the happy ending.
Gabrielle was lead to the edge of town, she and Xena completely isolated from the rest of the society. She sat down on a rather large rock and waited for Xena to speak.
"I heard talk around town when I was running errands and we have a problem." Gabrielle cocked her head to the side.
"Problem?"
"Yes, a big one, and it's not just here- It's everywhere."
"Xena, what are you talking about? What's here-er-everywhere?" Xena stopped pacing and did not look at Gabrielle for a while. She stared at the ground instead.
"I don't have all of the details but I found out as much as I could... Greece is in trouble."
"Trouble? Greece? As in the whole province?" Gabrielle tried to ignore the light buzz she had from the wine; it was stronger than she had realized. "Wait, what do you mean, 'trouble'? Like, smack-a-little-kid-on-the- hand-for being-bad, or shit-your-pants trouble?" Xena looked like she wanted to laugh at the comment, but her lips never curled.
"More like shit-your-pants trouble… Give or take."
"But what's happening, Xena?"
"There's an army coming from far away to Greece to bring about her demise. This force has struck many places in the past and has never been known to be defeated. No one knows even its name or where it comes from."
"How is that possible?"
"I don't know but that's the reality of the situation and it's got me worried-"
"But Xena, how do you know this isn't just some rumor meant to scare people?" Xena turned to face Gabrielle.
"I know because generations before me have told me about them. They are very real and very strong, and even though I have some faith in the armed forces of Greece, I don't know that she can handle an assault like the one they are sure to bring to her." Gabrielle was quiet for a while, not sure what to say. Despite her tipsiness she was sober enough to understand the gravity of the situation. Quite honestly, it scared her. She had never heard of this force, but if it gave Xena the heebie geebies she knew it had to be pretty bad. She bit her lip and slouched a little, letting out a sigh.
"So what are we gonna do?" Gabrielle looked up at he companion and the two of them made eye contact. Immediately, Gabrielle started fighting, knowing what was in Xena's head. "N-no. Ohhhh no. Xena, you can't really be thinking-"
"Of course I am, Gabrielle! What other option do we have?"
"Run? I dunno! It seems like it's either that or die, and I don't know about you but I'm not the biggest fan of Death right now-"
"We have to fight. If we don't, Greece will be lost."
"Might be lost," Gabrielle corrected. "You forget the faith you have in Greece's armed forces-"
"That was romantic talk, Gabrielle. That was me kidding myself, alright? The only faith that's worth having is the faith in fighting to defend ourselves. So just…Put your faith there-"
"Faith? You want me to have faith in something that I think will get us killed when you won't even have faith in something that just may keep us alive? Xena, you just told me that we'd be going up against a force that has never in its existence lost to any army it has engaged in combat with, a force that has conquered countless lands without so much as lifting a finger to grab a sword, and you expect me to have faith in fighting that?" The bard paused, staring her companion down. "I'm sorry, but forgive me if your request isn't just a tad ridiculous." Gabrielle stood up, standing in close proximity to the blue-eyed warrior, and looked up into her face with a stern gaze. "I am not going to try and go into a battle that I am destined to lose, a battle that will cost me everything that is most precious to me. And I am not going to let you run blindly into battle either, so if that means that I personally have to knock you unconscious and drag you onto the nearest fleeing ship, don't you think for a second that I won't do it." With that, Gabrielle turned on her heel and stormed away, leaving Xena alone staring at the blonde's back.