As their last dialogue began replaying over and over somewhere inside her head, Gabrielle frowned at what she recalled to be that absolutely inhuman hatred sparkling in Xena's eyes while she was talking about the prisoners she had executed. It was as if she hadn't even been aware of the fact that those were human beings that she had killed; she had treated them like plain, disposable objects….Somehow, the angry Bard couldn't get passed that no matter how much she tried….
" Xena can take care of herself . The last thing she needs is my pathetic sacrifice or anyone else's for that matter. " she uttered, resentment clearly present in her voice.
The War God was obviously having a blast….. The peaceful Bard was choleric- a truly amusing sight to see.
She just threw him a contentious glare in return. By Zeus, she hated that irking cockiness radiating from his every pore with every fiber of her being. If there was one person on the face of the Earth that she couldn't stand regardless of the circumstances, that person was Ares.
" Now, now….." the God contradicted, once their invisible gaze fight was over. " You're just mad that Xena ignored your peace loving philosophy when it came to those insignificant savages. I do hold out hope though that the all conquering power of forgiveness, endless loyalty and friendship will prevail in the end…." he proclaimed on a solemn note to match Plato's tone whenever he spoke in the Athenian agora.
Gabrielle clenched her teeth, and they strangely sounded like grinding mils rubbing against each other . She was boiling mad. The sarcasm playing on the Olympian's features was simply insulting.
"You're such a filthy, double crossing…"
"Yadda, yadda, yadda. I get it. No use in pointing fingers. After all, I'm not that one who is so narrow-minded that …"
"No, you're not. Being a grimy worm, a...a leach that knows nothing more than to take advantage of any crack in someone's armor, is more than enough! To think about it, how could you even …." she continued, yelling from the top of her lungs.
"Hey , hey, hey! " he rudely interrupted her, visibly pissed with her attitude. " You were the one who pushed her straight into my arms! And now you're acting all frustrated and hurt because she didn't give a crap about your feelings? Well did you give a crap about hers?..."
"Don't you dare blame me for…"
"Shut the fuck up! You didn't even bother asking her who those villagers were and why did it mean so much to her to avenge them. Maybe you would have ended up seeing things her way! By the Fates themselves, a change of perspective wouldn't suck the life out of you, Blondie ! But noooooo! All you cared about were some freaking moral rules and principles that no one really gives a damn about!"
"And you do know a lot about morals, right?"
" I do know that Xena needs you. So cut the drama already, you're the lamest actress I've seen in my life. Plus, you're gonna bore me to death!"
" So now she needs me? Didn't she need me back when I was begging for her to listen to me, to give those kids a chance? "
" So that's your actual problem? The fact that she didn't listen to you? My my, this is indeed interesting. So you're not actually hurt because she solved the problem her way; what actually bothers you the most is the fact the she actually managed to escape your grasp. You couldn't control her anymore. It's just your pride that's hurt. Your self esteem…." the God concluded with a resonant laugh to wake the dead, a laugh that Gabrielle failed to realize, only had the role of keeping him from splitting her skull into half.
" In spite of your distorted vision of her, Xena is not some dishrag marionette that someone can control! You should have known that by now!" she protested in a strangled voice.
"Really…? " he inquired moistening his lips. "Then why is she planning to attack Athens, using my own personal guard….?"
In less than a blink, the Bard's eyes doubled in size, completely taken aback by that inconceivable information.
"Trust me, I feel ya'. I didn't see it coming either."
"Hold on. " she intervened, utter mistrust written all over her features, suddenly her entire attention focusing strictly on the God's body language. " Athens?! What reasons could she possibly have to attack Athens?"
"Bits me. Don't know, don't care. I guess she's just pissed and wants to blow off some steam….?"
" Are what you're telling me is that you have nothing to do with her holocaustic intentions? What did you do? How did you convince her to give up years of redemption and our friendship to serve your sleazy purposes, to go back to the monster that she used to be? What did you tell her? "
And even if her voice was trembling and her fists were balled up in fury, the Bard refused to let the tears fall down her face. She refused to let him see just to what extent his words had affected her; in all appearances, her brain had broken all connections to the fact that in a very veiled manner, the God had initially left the impression that he had been asking for her help.
" ...Join the dark side Xena, we have cookies…." ? he mockingly commented, grinning widely at the realization that he could play her as he wished given that she was falling for every old trick in the book, no exception.
It was all it took for Gabrielle to lose whatever was left of her composure. With all her force, she directed a fist straight to his chin, a vengeful blow that he avoided of course with blatant easiness, stopping it in mid air.
"Tsk tsk tsk! " he protested. " You do not, want to go there. You still need a few centuries of practice before you should even dare raise a hand at me. "
Saying that, his eyes were of an enviable but dark calmness. He was clearly not even the slightest intimidated by the Bard's determination to smash his face. Still, the passion that she had put into that attack did hit a soft spot…..As silly and rugged as she was, she did have potential, he quietly thought, smiling at the idea that had just crossed his mind.
And even if the initial motifs for which he had dropped by her camp that night had already changed at least a couple of times during the minutes he had spent there, a new plan was starting to emerge from the depths of that sickly bright mind of his.
Just as quick, he pushed her away and turned around, ready to leave.
" Why did you tell me all this ? Why bother? You've been dreaming about the glorious day when Xena would return by your side, faithfully embracing your twisted, psychotic ways again for as long as I can remember….." she demanded to know.
"That hasn't changed. Let's just say that I have my reasons…"
She glared at him in awe for a couple of seconds more, hope glistening on the surface of her emerald green eyes.
" You want me to stop her, don't you? " the idea finally hit her like a load of bricks. "You've finally realized that drawing her in your bloody world again would only turn you into her executioner, that you would only end up crushing her spirit !"
He just had to laugh at that far fetched, ludicrous presumption.
"Don't be stupid! I'm just trying to give you a fair fighting chance before you lose her for good. War is all about morals and honor remember?" he retorted, casting her a patronizing gaze.
"When will she attack?" her lips finally uttered the question, but the sounds that left her mouth were barely audible. She found it impossibly hard to believe that she had actually asked him that.
"I'll get back to you on that" he simply announced, vanishing into thin air before she got the chance to say anything else.
For the hundredth time that day, Gabrielle cursed…..She could swear she had seen something in his eyes though…..Maybe she wasn't that wrong after all….
