AN: This was quite fun to write, it really was! :D It's mainly based on the fact that Meg, Diana, and Leah all had copies of Xena's armor, which is quite... specific, you know? So how did they get it? A bit random, but fun nonetheless. I hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Xena.
The storm hadn't been bad when they had started on the trail, figuring, by the size and darkness of the clouds, it would clear up in just a few hours- they had traveled through worse, and the message they had gotten from Joxer had sounded serious enough that they had decided to risk it. Besides, the village he was in wasn't supposed to be far from their own, and much larger too, with an actual inn instead of a large house with three extra rooms.
So they had set out, both of them on Argo to quicken the trip, ready for the warm meals and hot baths they knew were going to be there.
But the rain hadn't cleared up- as if Zeus himself was angry with them (quite a possibility, since Xena had a knack for ticking that group off), the storm had worsened throughout the day, the light gray clouds turning almost pitch black and the slight drizzle turning into a white out down pour. Barely able to see more than a few paces before her, Xena had let go of Argo's reigns a while ago, hoping the horse's natural sense of direction and astonishing ability to find herself- and generally them when they were all together- somewhere warm and dry would kick in, getting them to shelter before they drowned.
Behind her, Xena winced as she felt Gabrielle begin to cough, the rain too loud for her to hear- even though Xena had warned her to keep her head down and to use her cloak as a cover, Gabrielle hadn't been able to stop herself from looking up every once in a while, generally resulting in her accidently breathing in some of the rain that made it hard for her to even make out Xena's armor, right before her nose. Drowning was a real threat in this weather, if a bolt of lightning didn't find them first, though that at least would be a quicker, kinder death.
Xena was determined they wouldn't die at all, and so she placed her trust in her horse and let her walk.
And Argo came through. Within an hour or two of the worst of the storm, Argo began to pick up her pace, snorting heavily as the rain went up her nose, though she didn't stop. Soon enough, even through the heavy rain, a large, dark form came into view, its blurry edges slowly crisping into the recognizable form of a building, with a smaller one off to the side, presumably a stable by the large, glassless windows every few feet. Taking up the reigns again, Xena turned Argo towards it, more than ready to get them all somewhere safe and dry.
If the place was hospitable, then they had coin to pay for whatever they would use until the rain stopped. If not, then she had her sword and chakram to make it so.
"By the gods," Gabrielle said in relief as they entered the stables, the two other horses standing there looking at them momentarily in interest before ignoring their existence. "I don't think I've been that wet since I almost drowned as a child in the well." Coughing hard, she winced as the last bit of the water she had accidently breathed in found its way up, spitting it off to the side. "Please tell me we're somewhere where we can get food, baths, and a bed until this is over."
"I would," Xena said, quickly stripping Argo of her saddle and gear before reaching into a saddle bag and sighing in relief. The leather had kept everything from getting too wet, only the top few things becoming slightly damp, and it only took a moment to find a dry cloth she could use to dry off Argo. "But I can't be sure if that would make me a liar."
"You don't know where we are," Gabrielle asked, pausing in her attempt to dry off herself- a puddle had formed by her feet, the result of her twisting her hair, cloak, and what she could of her clothes to ring out the water. "I thought we came here because you knew the place."
"Nope," Xena said, disappearing behind Argo as she began to work on the horse's other side, making sure the mare was dry before looking around the stables. It was in good condition, only one or two of the stalls leaking from the roof, though all of the floors were still wet from the wide open windows. Choosing one for Argo, Xena closed and bolted the window before pulling some of the dry hay from the inner portion of the stables into the stall, creating at least a semi-dry place for the mare, along with a pile of food in the bin in the corner. "Help me with these other two, would yah," Xena asked, jerking her head towards the other horses- with their windows open, the two horses were wet and clearly cold.
"Oh, these poor things. Why haven't their owners come out to take care of them," Gabrielle asked, entering the nearest stall, holding out her hand for the horse to her used to her before she walked around it, closing its window before following Xena's actions from before, spreading hay down to absorb the moisture and make the stall at least a bit more comfortable. Finding another spare cloth in the saddle bag, Gabrielle wiped down the horse until it was dry, passing the cloth over to Xena to use on the one she had taken care of.
"Either they don't care enough to come out in the rain," Xena said, patting the horse gently, a spark in her eyes and a grim smile on her face, "or they weren't able to." Leaving the horses, spreading out the few of their things that had gotten wet in the middle of the stables so it could all dry, along with the saddlebags and Argo's tack, Xena pulled out her sword and turned towards Gabrielle, twirling the weapon between her fingers to loosen up a bit before jerking her head towards the other building, just a few feet away. "How about we go find out?"
Despite it being a quick dash to the building, they were still soaked again by the time they entered the door, the slight amount of dryness they had managed to obtain disappearing in their few seconds of exposure. Inside it was cold- unusually cold, and dark, as if all the lanterns had been snuffed out for some reason.
It put Xena on edge, and she motioned for Gabrielle to stay close by the light that came in through the door right before it closed. Gabrielle's hand landed on her shoulder a moment later, and with that Xena began to enter the room properly, her hand held out before her to find where something might be obstructing their path, her ears sharp for any noises that might be made by someone other than them.
The building was huge, she could tell that from the way their footsteps echoed from the hardwood floor, the slightest of whispers back to them telling of the size. Occasionally her hand would brush against something, her fingers finding it to be a table or cheap leather or some kind of contraption that she couldn't even begin to understand without her sight.
It was frustrating, but slowly she and Gabrielle picked their way across the room, careful not to trip over anything or make any noise, to finally find a door on the other side. Reaching up, Xena removed Gabrielle's hand from her shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze before motioning for her to step back. When she was sure she had, Xena pressed her ear to the door, trying to hear anything she could through the wood- there were no sounds, but this close, she could see the faintest of traces of light coming through the cracks, though the door was so well fitted into its frame it was almost impossible to see through them. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Xena waited for one more moment.
Xena threw herself against the door, her sword in one hand, the other reaching for her chakram the moment she was in the room, scanning the vicinity for any kind of danger. What she found wasn't dangerous, not at all, but was incredibly weird. Perhaps even too weird for her.
Gabrielle, not hearing any sounds of battle, peaked her head in, her staff in hand. Looking around in amazement, she found her words quicker than Xena did.
"They all look like yours."
Gabrielle was right. All along the wall, hanging from crude wooden dress forms, were replicas of her leathers and armor- some of them, the ones Xena couldn't help but think looked older, were wildly wrong, the outfit only looking like her own if you squinted, tilted your head sideways, and were mostly blind. As she went down the row, though, they slowly started getting better- the detailing more accurate, the outfit actually looking like something she would wear instead of a badly done costume, until she stopped before the latest of the forms, the armor and leathers almost perfect. She could still see the flaws, could still tell where whoever had made this had been forced to guess instead of actually knowing what they were doing, but that was because she saw her own traveling gear every day, and had for years.
It was unsettling, incredibly so, but even more so when she realized she couldn't hear the rain anymore.
"Did the rain stop," Gabrielle asked, looking up at the ceiling as if it would give an answer. Taking a few steps back, outside of the room, her eyes widened as she shook her head and returned. "No, I can hear it just fine in the other one. Xena, what's going on?"
"I don't know," Xena replied, looking around the room. Finding another door, Xena motioned towards it. "But stay close."
Walking over to the door, Xena listened closely to this one as well, once again to see if she could discern anything from the other side- this time muffled voices, laughter and chatter mixing together. Definitely more people than the two horses would have been able carry, meaning this was either someone's home or many of the voices inside had walked here. Either way, Xena was going to get some answers.
Throwing open the door, Xena stepped into the room, her sword raised and steady as she took in the sight before her. Half a dozen women were sitting there, startled into silence by her entrance, though instead of looking scared, like she had expected them to, they all quickly relaxed, one of them standing to greet her.
"Meg, you scared us, you silly fool! What brings you here so soon? You know your order won't be done for another two weeks. Now, put your toy down and come join-"
The woman stopped short, jerking her hand away from the edge of Xena's sword. Although the wound wasn't deep enough to cause any real damage, just some slight bleeding that would stop in a minute or two, the touch the woman had given the sword to push it to the side had been enough to prove it was not, in fact, a toy, but the real deal. The woman's face went white as she stared at the sword, her gaze jumping between Xena and the weapon as she took a few steps back.
"Meg said you looked like her," the woman said, her voice shaking, "but by the gods…"
"A strange accident of fate," Xena agreed, sheathing her weapon, another quick glance around making her sure none of the woman were any kind of threat. Now that their leader had been proven wrong, the others seemed just as shaken as she was. "It's raining badly outside," she said, giving a shrug. "We stabled our horse in your stables, but you should see to the other two. It's bad."
"Dala," the leader said, turning to what looked like the youngest of girls, "go take care of the mares. Our building was an old warlord's hangout," she continued, turning back towards Xena. "He used some trick on it to make it hard to hear the outside world when you're in the inner rooms- which is why he wasn't a warlord for very long, and the building is ours now. But we couldn't even hear the rain. Would you like to join us by the fire to dry off?"
"Yes, please," Gabrielle spoke up, popping her head into the room. Smiling widely to everyone, she quickly took a seat on the plush rug that had been laid out next to the flames. "I'm-"
"Gabrielle, the bard of Poteidaia," the woman said, smiling at her widely. With a wave of her hand, a cup of wine was filled and brought to her, another brought to Xena a moment later. "The constant companion of Xena, the Warrior Princess. We know who you both are."
"Yet we still don't know who you are," Xena replied, taking a seat next to Gabrielle. She had to admit, it felt nice, having a warm fire at her back, though she didn't drink. Not just yet. Not until she was sure they were among worthy company. Looking over out of the corner of her eye, Xena was pleased to see Gabrielle hadn't drunk yet either, instead waiting to see what the woman in charge would say.
"You must think me terribly rude," the woman said, shaking her head. "I am Alana, head seamstress and costume maker of this facility. I'm ever so pleased to meet you, especially after spending so many years trying to replicate your outfit just right."
"Why is that," Gabrielle asked, nodding her head towards the room they had come in through. "It looked like there were a dozen or so versions out there. Why?"
"Because people like to dress up as their heroes, darling," Alana said, smiling at Xena as she choked on the sip of wine she had finally taken. "Especially since you started writing down Xena's tales, many people have come to look up to her, so they dress like her for fun. Plus, she does pose a fearsome spectacle, so her outfit has become a popular choice during the Baccus celebrations. Our biggest buyers, though," Alana said, leaning forward, her eyes sparkling with mischievous intent, "come to us through Meg. Because what man or sapphic woman wouldn't want to bed the Warrior Princess, making her's the most popular costume choice in most brothels these days."
Xena couldn't help but chuckle at that, despite the flush that flared across her cheeks- though it was nowhere near as deep as Gabrielle's, her friend taking a deep drink from her cup of wine to hide her embarrassment at Alana's straight forward answer. Taking a small sip herself before putting her cup off to the side, Xena leaned back against the stone lip of the fireplace, sighing as the warmth dried out her hair and warmed her skin.
"No wonder you're so familiar with Meg," Xena said, looking between Alana and the other women in the room- everyone besides Alana were relaxing now that she had, the previous fearful looks for their apparently fearless leader fading when they saw Xena was taking no offence to her statement. "She must bring you a lot of customers."
"More than enough to keep us in business with only a few other designs necessary from time to time," Alana admitted, pushing herself to her feet and walking over to the side table, where the food the women had been eating sat. Fixing up two plates, she passed them off to Xena and Gabrielle before sitting back down in her own seat, smiling at the two. "She's been acting as a liaison for us- finding interested parties, getting the measurements we need in order to make the costumes for the girls, delivering the finished product; she's quite a good saleswoman. Though, really, this is all only possible because of you, Gabrielle."
"Me," Gabrielle asked, confusion clear upon her face. "How so?"
"Because of your drawing, dear." Turning in her seat, Alana motioned to one of the girls, the girl quickly running from the room, only to return a few moments later with a scroll in her hands. "Meg brought this to us, saying she had found it in the last room you two stayed at when she last saw you. Says you were the one who drew it."
Gabrielle flushed once again as Xena took the scroll, unrolling it, staring at the image that appeared before her.
It was, to put it simply, her. Not a crude sketch some of her men had done, not the pictures she still occasionally saw from old wanted posters, but an actually well done portrait of herself, the lines carefully done, the detailing on her armor almost perfectly exact- it looked as if it had been done by a master's hands, despite the fact that it was clear the picture had been quickly done, the only imperfections the slight smudges from the ink that hadn't dried soon enough.
"You drew this," Xena asked, turning towards Gabrielle, watching as the bard's- and artist's, apparently- face deepened in color. "Gabrielle, this is lovely."
"It was just a sketch," Gabrielle said, shrugging. "When I was younger, when I couldn't find the words to describe what I wanted to say in my stories, or when I needed to set up a scene, I would draw them. It helped to have something to visualize, you know? I thought I had lost that in the woods somewhere."
"You lost it right where Meg could find it," Alana said, taking the scroll back when Xena offered it to her, "and she brought it to us."
"You know," Gabrielle said after a few minutes, "that would explain why Diana, Meg, and Leah were all about to get replicas of your outfit. If they're so common, I'm surprised we don't see more people walking around looking like you." She gave Xena a soft, teasing smile, though Xena just rolled her eyes and groaned.
"I think four of me is already too much for the world to handle, don't you think," she replied. "Let's just be glad there's only that many and not tempt fate into giving us a few more to keep track of."
"At least you always know you're you," Gabrielle pointed out. "I'm always wondering whenever we meet up with one of them if I'm talking to you or one of them- it's really confusing."
"You get the hang of it soon enough," Xena replied with a shrug. "Last time we saw one of them, you only mistook me for Meg what, three times?"
"Only because you two kept switching clothes," Gabrielle muttered grumpily, shooting the warrior a glare before returning to her food.
"It must be confusing," Alana agreed, holding up her hand- just like Xena had thought, the bleeding had stopped a while ago, leaving a slim mark behind. "I thought she was Meg, even though she acted nothing like her."
"You should see them when they are trying to be each other," Gabrielle said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "I swear, it's more like being in a traveling performance than anything else."
For a long while they all sat and talked, Alana and the other seamstresses talking about their customers while Xena and Gabrielle told some of their stories, laughing and joking as they waited for the rain to stop. Which it eventually did, as the girl who had been sent out to tend the horses came back to tell them- she had stayed out there to ensure the animals would all be ok until the storm had passed- leaving still a decent portion of the afternoon left for travel.
"If you two need to come back by this way," Alana offered as she took them to the main room, the other woman opening windows as they passed, finally revealing what Xena and Gabrielle had had to sneak by- sewing machines, more advanced than any Xena had ever seen before, all lined up on table after table. "Stop by again. It was lovely getting to meet you. Especially you, Gabrielle."
"Me," Gabrielle asked, looking at the woman in confusion. "Why?"
"Because we've been getting orders for a certain Amazon Queen costume, and now that I've seen your outfit, I can start filling them."
Alana's laughter and wink followed them out into the Stables, Xena only biting her tongue when Gabrielle reached out and smacked her on the arm.
"Come on," Gabrielle muttered, picking up Argo's stuff and getting the mare ready to go before Xena could even say a word. "Joxer needs our help- we better get going."
Gently pushing Gabrielle to the side, Xena finished preparing Argo and climbed into the saddle, reaching out for Gabrielle to pull her up behind her. Once the bard was settled, the two turned and rode out, waving to the seamstresses behind them.
"Hey Gabrielle," Xena said, looking over her shoulder at the still blushing but calmer bard. "Do you still draw out what you need to write?"
"Sometimes," Gabrielle admitted after a few minutes. "Like I said, it helps to draw it out, so I know what words to use."
"Next time you do, could I see it?"
"Sure," Gabrielle said, smiling, leaning forward against Xena's back. "But the moment you're done looking at it, it's going into the fire. I don't need another picture getting back to them and starting another line of clothing."
Xena just laughed and agreed, kicking Argo into a gallop down the muddy rode to make up for the lost time on their way to get to Joxer.
(Turns out Joxer's issue was an issue for Meg as well, and boy did she get an earful when Gabrielle saw her.)