AN: Another little update . At least the story's finally going somewhere, lol!
Revelation
I hesitate nervously outside the door to the Minotaur's Horn tavern, pulling at the sleeves of the rough woollen cloak Ares gave me earlier. This plan scares me- to the God of War it is simple, safe and utterly foolproof. I am reminded of the fact that he is not the God of Wisdom and Warfare, rather the God of War and as such his idea of 'safe' and 'foolproof' and even 'plan' are likely radically different to my own. I swallow anxiously, feeling the rush of fear, the slightly bitter taste of excess energy flooding to my muscles as I prepare to either run or fight. Of course, if all goes according to plan, I will not be doing either of those things. If being the problem here.
Steeling my nerves I push through the surprisingly rickety wooden door and step into the low light of the tavern. The sight that greets me does not reassure me whatsoever on the soundness of this 'plan'. There are warlords and warriors everywhere, great hulking men draped over protesting chairs, their dirt and sun-darkened muscles clothed in leather and iron. The rowdy buzz of conversation lowers to a dim bubbling as the room turns to inspect the newcomer – me – and I wish I could pull the hood of the cloak up and hide myself from their appraising, hostile and leering stares. Gathering my courage to me I try to recall every nuance of Xena's stance, her walk, her cold gaze as she faced a potential enemy. I'm sure I just look terrified, but it seems to work to a degree and most of the eyes blink and turn back to their discussions. Slightly emboldened, I weave my way through the clustered tables and chairs, hunting for the face of Xena's killer. I feel like I should remember him with crystal clarity, but I don't. I remember the rush of terror and shock as I held the sword to his throat, I remember the proud baritone of his voice and the arrogant angle of his stance. I know that moment inside and out, I can step into it so easily and be back there, right there where my whole life changed and was broken. But he is just a faceless monster, a weak man who commanded the minds and loyalty of other weak men.
I am beginning to think he is not here and relief floods my heart, touched also with disappointment. I turn for one final sweeping glance over the room, just in case, and that's when I hear it. The nasty chuckle that haunted my dreams for months after her death. He is here, somewhere. A hand clasps around my upper arm, bruising as it spins me around. Talmadeus.
"Well, well, what have we here?" He grins, breathing on me with foul ale-tainted breath. I fight the urge to tremble under his mean gaze and fail. His nasty smile widens.
Gabrielle! What are you doing?
I can here Ares' voice in my head, exasperated and impatient and I jump, startled. How did he do that?
"I'm trying, Ares," I growl under my breath, not knowing how to respond in a way that he can here me.
"What?" Talmadeus looks confused, but still smug and entertained.
"Uh, I- I want to know why you killed her!" There I go, jumping in without thinking again. He snorts and spins me around again, shoving me towards what is obviously his table. I stumble forward and I'm caught by the grubby, grabbing hands of one of his lieutenants.
"Why do you think I killed her? For the glory, for the challenge. For the right to say that I, Talmadeus, killed the great Xena, Warrior Princess!" He smirks and thinks for a moment, "And just because I could." His men laugh uproariously at this and I take the opportunity to yank myself away from the gap-toothed man that caught me.
"I don't understand how a pathetic, minor warlord like you could have possibly even landed a scratch on Xena, let alone killed her!" I burst out, angry beyond reason. How dare he use her murder to further his ambitions. How dare he brag about it?
He blanches for a moment and I can't help but feel that I've landed a heavy blow. "Unless… you didn't really kill her." My voice rapidly loses volume as my mind struggles to process this thought. Could it really have been someone else? No one actually saw who fired that arrow.
Talmadeus' ruddy face darkens further, his eyes shedding all traces of good humor. "You don't know what you're talking about, wench," He snarls, reaching out and fastening his hands around my wrists. With a violent jerk he yanks me almost off my feet and begins to march me out of the tavern.
At least this part of Ares' plan is going right.