Chapter 21

Toris was still in his hiding place. It was still a few hours to dawn and knew that there would be little to no activity in the castle. That was the advantage of attacking in the night. The disadvantage to most was seeing in the dark. It was one of the few things that he shared with his sister. His mother had often accused all three of her children of being owls as they insisted on being up half the night stalking around in the dark woods. But they could see almost as well as if it had been day.

A little motion caught his attention and the king sat up in bed. Phileman always started his day early. He looked lovingly at his still sleeping beauty and left the bed chamber area. Toris had to move so that the king did not see him as he dressed. There was barely a noise as the door shut behind him. Toris knew that this would be his only chance. Besides the bounty that he intended to collect on his sister, he was also going to collect on two other bounties. First was the queen. Second would be her son, Lias.

Oh how Xena would hate to know that her brother was a man that did just about anything to survive. Though I don't much care what you think sister. Now our brother that always haunts me what he would think. He sighed heavily but pushed that thought away. Quietly as he could he pulled the dagger out of the sheath he had hidden behind his back. Sister probably didn't even know I had this. Even more quietly he pulled back the curtain he'd been standing behind.

Slowly, as a predator stalks his prey, he made his way over to the bed. The queen was still sound asleep which would make this easier than he thought. The next part of his plan would be more difficult as he would have to sneak back to his room without anyone seeing him. That was made so much more difficult by the simple fact that his sister was around.

With almost as much stealth as Xena would muster, he was at the queen's bed. Carefully he pulled back the silky blanket and pulled his arm up. With as much force as he could muster, he sent the dagger straight for the heart. The first sensation he felt was pain as his wrist was caught in two very strong capable hands. The second was shock as he felt and heard an unpleasant cracking sound which caused him to drop his weapon. The next thing he knew it was total darkness.

Xena had a very sad look on her face as Gabrielle came through the door. The warrior princess was sitting on the edge of the bed and staring down at the lump that was her brother. Still in the hand of the dark haired woman was the dagger that had intended to end the life of the queen. Guards followed the bard in and they quickly and quietly took the still form out of the room.

In an instant, the bard was sitting next to her lover on the bed with one arm draped around her, her head upon her shoulder and a hand on one of the long legs. They sat that way for a few moments. She hates betrayal. Gabrielle could feel how tense Xena was. That was the one thing that nearly cost us what we have now. We both did things that we regret that were out and out betrayals. I know even as a warlord she had come to expect betrayal but still hated it. Now her own brother…

"I'm all right." The tone was low and raspy. Xena could sense just by the touch just how worried her partner was about her. I knew he had been up to something. I was hoping it was just after me. I can handle anyone after me, even family. But he's fallen farther than I ever did. I would kill yes. She sighed as she knew that it was the same as what she had done only she had never been paid to do those things. She had just done them. "When he wakes up, I'll try and find out what else he was up to and why."

"That's something you'll have to do alone I guess." Gabrielle squeezed the leg that she still had a hand on. They sat there a few more minutes before the bard continued. "I guess we should go and see how the king and queen are. Plus I know you. You'll want to check on Prince Lias yourself." That earned her a small but genuine smile. No I can't read your mind my love. But after all these years I know where your heart is and what it wants to do.

The bard was startled by a long and passionate kiss. A voice from the doorway caused them to break the connection reluctantly. Queen Dianna was standing there smiling. "I take it some things have changed in the past quarter century." The result was both the warrior princess and the bard blushing. "I always thought there was something more there." Her smile grew as the blushes grew. "I'm happy for you. Now whenever you are ready, care to join me in the main dining hall?" Without another word the Queen left the two lovers.

Both fell back on the bed and burst out laughing. It was always interesting to see how people reacted to their relationship. Almost every single person from their past always said the same thing. "Always thought there was more to your relationship". About the only one that probably believed till he died that they were just good friends was poor Joxer. He was a good friend if not clueless.

Finally they both composed themselves and walked hand in hand to the dining room. No sense in hiding it now. They entered the large room that brought some memories back for Xena. This was the room where she had tried to play the harp and instead broken every string on the instrument. That had to take a lot to restring. They were directed to a seat next to the queen. On the other side of her was her husband. To the side of him was the prince. To their surprise it looked like there was a princess as well.

"Xena. Gabrielle." The queen motioned them to the end of the table. "I'd like to introduce to you Lias and his sister Gena." Both the warrior and the bard bowed their heads in greeting. "And yes, she was named after you. We combined the names of the two strongest women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Lias of course was named after his grandfather."

"I remember." Xena's eyes flashed back to the king. He had been kind to her both times. In fact he had treated her like a daughter. And the second time that they had met he had even taken Meg in under his wings. If only she had stayed there, she wouldn't have gotten into more trouble. Oh who am I kidding. Trouble just seemed to follow her around. "He was a kind and generous king. It's an honor to have been named for him."

Lias only shrugged his shoulders. There were dark circles under his eyes and he looked like he hadn't slept in about a month. His shoulders were slumped and he was having trouble even picking up his glass for a drink. The warrior's sensitive hearing could hear just how shallow his breaths were. Damn! He doesn't have much time. I have to figure out how the poison is getting to him.

Everyone's eyes turned as the door to the main entrance opened. In strode a very familiar form. At the same time, both the warrior and the bard thought one thing. Autolycus? Xena's mind raced as some things were becoming a lot clearer in her mind. They watched as he took a seat next to their namesake and pull her hand up and kissed it.

Gabrielle was now starting to realize what Xena had been thinking the night before. After Toris had left, they had talked quietly about what the warrior thought was going on. She hadn't mentioned any names but said that it would take a particular set of skills to collect the poison. They would either have to be the kind she had or that of a thief. Apparently the king of thieves had a son.

Dianna's voice startled the bard out of her thoughts. "Now, how is it that your brother has turned out the way he did?" The queen looked unhappy that she had allowed an assassin into her castle. Of course she also knew that she had the best warrior alive in her castle as well. But they were related. That complicated matters a great deal.

"I honestly don't know." Xena took a drink from the glass in front of her. Only Gabrielle was able to notice when she let the liquid drain back into her cup. Seems that the prince is not the only target. She turned a knowing eye to her bard. Only the briefest of change in her eyes but it was enough for her to know that her soulmate knew. "I hadn't seen him in thirty years. Of course being frozen for twenty-five of those years means I lost a lot." But not the most important thing.

"This does not help matters." The queen looked almost annoyed. While she looked almost exactly the same, except for a few notable signs of age, she definitely was not the same woman that the traveling pair had met. The years had been hard on her as most in her kingdom had turned to hating having a woman give orders. "I need to know now that my children, my husband and I are safe."

Gabrielle noted how the queen put herself last. Just like someone else I know and love. "We understand that, your majesty. We would not have wanted to complicate matters further. The short of a long story, if you have not heard, was that Xena sacrificed herself for the world once again. In fact, it's been less than a month since we were reunited. I'm telling you this not because I'm making excuses but so you know that we understand just how precious life is and the people you get to share it with." Her tone was soft but it was also forceful.

The look on the queen's face told the pair that it had been a long time since she had been spoken to in this manner. While still respectful, there was also an edge to the voice. Was that a warning tone I heard? The bard certainly has changed over the years. But then so have I. The queen's face softened almost to the one that had been upon her face many, many years before. "I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that. It does make you more sympathetic then. Please, tell me what your plans are to ease my tired mind."

Xena looked to Gabrielle. The pair knew that they could not confide their plan to the queen. The danger was right there in the room. The other danger was locked in the dungeon. It was time for a certain warrior princess to release the inner warlord and get her brother to tell them whatever it was that was happening. "If you'll excuse me," The warrior bowed and without another word made her way out of the room.

Gabrielle quickly turned to the queen. She leaned in so that only Dianna could hear her words. "Trust her. Trust us." She nodded to Xena's glass. "We apparently are not wanted here. That is a good thing. When someone gets nervous they make mistakes." Without a thought to who she was talking to, she reached out and took the queen's hand in her own. It was how she always tried to comfort those that they were helping. "We will tell you everything when we know it."

A handful of guards stepped out of the shadows and had crossbows instantly trained on the bard. She had committed a cardinal sin in leaning so close and worse actually having physical contact of any kind with the monarch. Quickly Dianna held up her hands and her guards receded back into the shadows. "Xena and Gabrielle are special." She said it plain and loud for everyone to hear. "They are allowed these kinds of liberties. And be careful of them both. They are highly trained warriors."

The bard almost wanted to scream at the queen for the last comment. True I can take care of myself in a battle and my whole world is the warrior princess. But did you have to go advertising that fact? She sighed heavily saying nothing. She just hoped that Xena was having better luck. Suddenly for the first time since Xena was back, she lost her appetite.

()()()()()()()()()()

Xena made her way down to the dungeons. Though she was a fair amount younger than the queen was now, she still received several looks from the servants and guards that she encountered. They were not the looks she had become warily used to over the years. While some did greet her with respect and all for the most part, she received the looks of fear and even hate. Of course now that it was twenty-five years later, most looks she received were those of shock at the way she still looked.

Finally she made it to the cell that Toris was being held in. With a simple nod she motioned for the guard to open up and her eyes told him to leave them alone. The door locked behind her as she made her way to stand within a few feet of her brother who was laying on the crude bed, his broken wrist being held in his good hand. When their blue eyes met there was a fire in both of them. The warrior recognized his as hate. Hers was betrayal.

"Why?" It was a simple question. The warrior knew that she was unlikely to get a simple explanation. All she knew was that she had to try. Maybe just maybe I can save him like someone else did for me. I owe so much to Hercules for starting me on the road. But without my soulmate, I would never have maintained this path. How many times did Ares almost and there she was keeping me out of trouble.

Toris glared at his younger sister. "You are something else." He turned his back on her. "You should know. You created me. I became what you always wanted me and Lyceus to be. Don't you dare deny it." He didn't care if she could break a man's wrist with just one little squeeze. He had had enough of her trying to be superior to everyone else. "You're the one that wanted war."

The revelation startled Xena to her very core. Wow he knows the right buttons to push. Luckily so do I. "I never wanted war. I just wanted us to protect ourselves so that we wouldn't be bothered anymore." And then the unthinkable happened. My little brother who looked up to me and wanted so much to be like me died because of what I started. "But when the innocence of Lyceus was taken from me something inside…" She paused trying to find the right words. "Snapped. I became what I hated most. And that's why I still hate myself most days."

Her brother had not been expecting that answer. He had figured she would come up with any number of excuses. But she openly said that she hated herself for what she did and what she had become. "What about now? You still going around being a warlord? Those are the stories I heard just after we parted ways oh so long ago."

Xena put her mind remembering what had occurred so long ago. Callisto! "If you'd bothered to really check your facts, you would have realized that someone else was doing the heinous things I was accused of." She swallowed hard, still hating to talk about what she still felt so responsible for. "She was the one that did all those acts in my name to try and keep people turned away from me. Even my own brother."

"I don't believe you." Toris turned to face her. His eyes were so full of hate that at this point the warrior knew that it would be nearly impossible to break through his barriers and get him to see things as they actually are. "What about all the rumors I heard after that. You even had a daughter that ended up fighting for the Romans. What about that?"

"Eve?" Xena was shocked he'd heard about her. "You've heard about my daughter but not all the other stories that go around about me?" She sighed and shook her head. "I'm afraid you, brother, are just believing what you want to believe just to justify what you've turned into. True your niece at first turned out just like me. But she changed. She turned to light and teachings of peace and wisdom." Not gonna tell you that she's the reason I stayed dead. "So she was just like her mother and I couldn't be prouder." Hear those words my sweet daughter.

"You'll never convince me any different." Toris stood and looked down at his sister though only a few inches taller. "I remember what it was like on mother all those things you did. You can't tell me she forgave you? In fact I know that she was going to let the villagers stone you to death. Your own mother didn't believe you."

Xena only shook her head and sighed once again. "I feel sorry for you, brother." She tried to take his good hand but he pulled away. "You have lived with hate for so long that I'm afraid it is all you see. You wouldn't believe me if I told you mother and I were close. She even accepted Gabrielle as her own daughter. I cannot do anything more for you. I will always love you."

Without another word, she turned to leave. She knew what was going to happen before she even heard it and stepped out of the way. Toris slammed head first into the bars and sunk down semiconscious. The warrior looked down at him and smiled. "I forgive you. Now you have to learn to either keep being a person of hate or do what I was lucky enough to become and be a person of light." She motioned to the guard and he opened the door for her. After it had shut tight, she turned back to her dazed brother. "Of course I was lucky to have someone that loved me unconditionally and was pure light herself."