Here we are again readers. Please, enjoy!
Xena winced as she heard Gabrielle's father's voice all the way outside. From the sounds of it, it didn't sound like things were going well on the bard's end. Maybe it was for the best. No need for her to get herself killed, or worse. Speaking of the bard, she couldn't get her out of her head.
She reminded her of someone. The same someone she swore never to speak of again. And yet... She couldn't help but want to spend more time with the bard. In a way, she looked forward to training her, to getting to maybe know her better. What was the point though? In a few months time, she'll be on her way again, back to doing what she had doomed herself to do. And Gabrielle, well, she'll still be here, she'll still be safe.
The warrior princess knew she should close herself off, not be nice to the bard, just do what she needed to do and leave all emotions behind. She was brought out of her thoughts as she saw Gabrielle walking towards her, red looking eyes, trying to look strong. She decided not to ask the blonde is she was alright, but the she answered her anyway.
"It didn't go very well. But, I finally convinced him to let me help you. There will be a lot of tension in the house for the next few weeks, but it's worth it. So, where do we start?"
Xena couldn't help but admire the woman that stood before her. She should have given her more credit. Xena walked into the barn and came out with a long stick.
"It's not an actually staff, I did what I could last night. This is good enough for now."
She handed it to Gabrielle and the blonde smiled.
"You did this in one night?" Gabrielle asked, awed at the details that went into it. Smooth, dark wood, small designs here and there along the staff, and two green pieces of clothe tied at the end of it. The warlord smirked and leaned her shoulder against the barn as she watched Gabrielle check out her work. Gabrielle looked up from the staff to look into the brunette's eyes.
"You don't sleep do you?" she questioned, half jokingly. Xena shrugged and grinned. "Come on, let's go help people. I still need to find someone to deliver these letters and we'll see what we need to start the market back up."
"What about my training? And how will we start a market, we don't have any money."
"We'll get to that later this afternoon. And no need to worry about money. We also need to try and start an inn. Make this a village where travelers will stop."
As Xena pushed off the wall of the barn, she couldn't believe she had said all that. So much for her inner talk earlier of how she needed to stay out of this emotionally. But she couldn't help it. Every time she saw Gabrielle, she wanted to do everything in her power to help her. No matter how hard she tried to ignore, she could feel a shift in her that shook her to the core. Xena, warrior princess, was finally afraid for the first time in years. She was afraid of what all this will lead to.
~~~~~~~~~~That Afternoon~~~~~~~~~~
"Again."
Gabrielle struck the tree again, the vibrations from the hit coursing all through her body. She had been hitting the same tree now for 2 hours and she really couldn't see what good it was doing-other then killing her hands. But she continued striking the tree in the places Xena marked off, wanting to prove she could actually do this. Some time must have passed, because as she was about to hit the tree, Xena grabbed the staff. "What was that for? Was I doing it wrong?"
"No, you weren't. I just think you should take a break. You'll thank me later."
As soon as the brunette finished, Gabrielle winced. Now she was defiantly feeling it.
"I know the perfect place to rest that's not too far away. Follow me." the blonde said as she lead the way through the forest. She half expected Xena not to follow, but before she could glance behind her, she saw that the warlord was walking along side her. They walked for a few minutes in silence, their steps falling in sync with each other. Xena breathed in several times, as if she was about to speak, but nothing would ever come out.
Even through her physical pain, the bard was kind of excited to show Xena this certain spot in the forest that they were heading towards now. As the river came into sight, she smiled a small smile as the memories of her early childhood came to mind. It was Xena who finally broke the silence this time. "I thought I heard running water last night.". Gabrielle turned her head to look at Xena, a inquisitive look on her face. "What were you doing out here last night?"
"I was looking for the perfect limb to make your staff. I also wanted a get a sense of the hunting situation in these woods. It would do your whole village good to get more meat."
Gabrielle shook her head and chuckled while she squatted to run her hands through the cooling water of the river. "You really do think of everything. Most people wouldn't think you could do anything more then kill and steal. Where did you learn to hunt and to farm?"
Xena laughed lightly as she took a seat beside Gabrielle "Again with the questions. I already told you, I have many skills."
The blonde wiped her hands on her dress as she sat beside Xena. Gabrielle almost laughed as she thought of the whole situation. It was almost easy for her to forget who Xena really was in moments like this. She couldn't help but feel a strange, yet familiar comfort when she was around her. She wouldn't dare mention this to anyone. They would think she was crazy. Xena brought her out her thoughts.
"They only want what's best for you, you know that, right?"
The blonde looked at the warrior princess and shook her head. "They only want what they think is best for me."
"Sometimes that's for the best though. They just don't want you to get hurt is all. My mother was like that"
Gabrielle tilted her head to the right before cautiously asking, "What was your family like?". She wanted to know about Xena's past more then anything. She held her breath, waiting for Xena to answer. Finally, the warlord began to speak.
"We were happy. I had two brothers, Toris, my older brother, and Lyceus, the youngest. My father left when I was very young, so my mother had a handful between the three of us. But we never went without. And our mother always let us choose out own paths. Sometimes for the worse. But she still loved us, no matter what. She always wanted what was best for us. Sometimes I wish I would have taken her suggestions instead of following my own path"
Gabrielle waited for her to say more, but after a few minutes, she took it upon herself to ask the next question. "Where are they now?"
Xena's eyes hardened and the blonde expected her to snap and tell her to drop it. But surprisingly, she answered. "My mother and Toris are alive and well. Lyceus... Died quite a few years ago. I left shortly after he died... Let's get back to training."
The brunette quickly pushed herself up and helped Gabrielle up. Slowly but surely, the bard was pulling back the layers, desperately searching for what made Xena tick. She needed to know what drove her to this life, and what, if anything, could possibly get her to change. As they walked back to the tree, Gabrielle tried to comfort Xena.
"You know, they say everything happens for a reason."
"I know. I'm just not sure if I quite agree with the bastard who came up with it."
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