Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Blue Eyes, White Horse, and a Chakram

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Chapter 35: Catching Up

Xena was lying on the blanket, peering up at the clouds. In her mind she was going over recent events. It had been nearly a moon since the attack on the prince. Through Xena and Gabrielle's integrations of the prisoners and their research on magic they had expanded their understanding of Valdemar considerably. It had turned out that the Black Soldiers were all residents of nearby kingdoms. The Dark Lord had been recruiting conscripts for some time now. Some of the soldiers had volunteered; some like Gerald had been forced into service.

Gerald's story in particular disturbed Xena considerably. He and seven other men from his village had been taken by force. They had been on a hunting trip, Gerald being a trapper by trade, and were ambushed. They were told that if they didn't cooperate their families would be slaughtered. After some inquiry, Gerald's family was located and brought to Haven, and after assuring that his story checked out, he had been released to be with his family. It had been decided that he should remained in Haven as he was a valuable source of information and so he and his family could be under the protective watch of the palace guards and Heralds.

The other two Black Soldiers were still in custody, awaiting word from their homelands to determine their fate. After Gerald had broken down with his story the other two eventually followed suit. Xena felt that once they had broken down, they were no longer a direct threat. They all seemed to be grateful that their forced conscription had been commuted.

Through follow-up conversations, Xena had done some research into their pasts, and discovered that only one had ever had any formal weapons training. She found this extremely odd because all of the soldiers she faced had been decent fighters. She could only assume that they had their skills magically enhanced. Her theory seemed to be confirmed, as each one had been found wearing a black onyx on a chain around his neck, which could only be removed with magic. The stones seemed to be controlling them, for once they were removed, each became much more cooperative, and Xena realized that at heart they were all just average, simple people who didn't have the desire to fight.

In response to this forced conscription of soldiers there had been a formal census taken in all of Valdemar. Heralds were sent out in concentrated and meticulous circuits with orders to check the birth and death records against current population. It was determined that it was a high priority to figure out just how many Valdemarians were missing. Also, in response messengers were sent to all the adjoining Kingdoms with the information that they had thus far gathered.

While the information gathered on the attacks and the direct threat had been more straightforward, the information they gathered about the magic was quite different. Most everything that they came across pointed to old magic, which was a type that was no longer used in Valdemar. To resolve this, Gabrielle had wanted to go visit with the Griffins and ask for their help, but Xena was reluctant to leave Haven too soon. Xena had insisted on taking the time to learn as much as possible before moving on.

After a few days of relative quiet, the warrior and bard had fallen into a routine. Gabrielle would spend most of her time in the Bardic Collegium, attending classes, learning about the history of Valdemar, and doing research. She had also incorporated lessons in controlling and learning her Gifts. She had gotten much better with her Empathy, and practiced using and projecting it when telling stories. She had quickly become a favorite story teller and was often requested to share to her talents. Also, to her delight, the bard had found the very large and collective library that the Collegium hosted and had instantly fallen in love with all the information. She had quickly devoured books of poetry and history novels alike. Xena had even found a few novels to her liking and had spent several nights lost in one story or another.

Xena's time seemed to be more pressed then Gabrielle's. She split it in between the practice fields and working with her Gifts. The Mage Gift was one of the more complicated ones to deal with. She had easily mastered the basics, already being sensitive to the magic before she had realized what it was, but there was much more too it.

Over the past moon she had learned much more about her Gifts and her seemingly unique ability to cross them. She was told that Gifts were meant to be used individually, not like she had been doing mixing them. It had seemed like second nature to her to use shields and fire together or the healing and shields. Her ideas and the way that she used her power was different, and the Heralds and Mages seem to have problems with that. It had caused quite a stir; some had embraced the ideas and some had rejected them, citing more traditional methods. Xena wasn't sure if the mages were upset that she had figured out so many new things, or if it was the fact that it seemed like no one else could do it. She had learned quickly who she could trust with her questions and who to avoid showcasing her talents too.

Overall, Xena was finding Valdemar to be a bit disconcerting. It was all very strange to her, very different then what she was used to. While Gabrielle seemed to be in her element, Xena's experiences were new and foreign. Her fighting skills and prowess in battle had become legendary even in the short time she had been in Valdemar, but on a more personal note, the way that she was received was new. The people saw her first and foremost as a Herald, who was welcomed, unquestioned, and always trusted. There was an awe of her skills and although some were wary of her new ways and ideas, they were respectful of her Gifts. Here in Valdemar, no one knew of her dark past, no one was fearful of her and no one knew what she was really capable of.

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Xena's thoughts drifted back to the present. It was another warm spring day. Gabrielle and Xena had both arranged their schedules to take some much needed time off. They were going to take the Companions deep into Companion's field and just enjoy some time together. They had brought a picnic lunch and their staffs along with some supplies, intending to spend the night away from the palace. While they had both enjoyed the comfort of the soft pallet and warm baths, they had missed their alone time together out under the stars and around the campfire.

The bard and the warrior were relaxing on the blanket. They had just finished their lunch and the warm sun and full bellies were making them both a bit lazy. Xena was lying on her back, her hands pillowing the back of her head. Gabrielle lay next to her, gently tucked against the warrior's body. They were watching the clouds roll by.

"Xena?" asked the bard. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing really, just enjoying being here with you."

"Aw, that's a sweet thing to say, Xena."

Xena smiled and kissed the bard's forehead. The bard returned the smile, and nuzzled closer to her warrior.

"Xena?"

"Yes Gabrielle?" Xena answered with a bit of that deeper edge to her voice that always made Gabrielle's heart skip a beat.

"When are we going to go see the Griffins?"

"Gabrielle, we've talked about this."

"I know, but it's not like you to hesitate."
"I'm not hesitating. Call it my warrior sense; I just don't think it's a good time to leave Haven right now."

"Oh come one Xena, warrior sense? What about your sense of adventure?" the bard teased.

"My sense of adventure is just fine. If you haven't noticed it hasn't exactly been very boring here," Xena explained.

"But Xena…"

"Gabrielle…"

"Fine," the bard said as she sat up. She hugged her knees close to her body, turning away from Xena.

"Gabrielle, you know we'd go if we could, but it's not the right time. I don't think that it's safe," argued Xena as she too sat up.

Gabrielle sighed. "I know. I'm sorry."

Xena put her hand on Gabrielle's shoulder and turned the bard around to face her. With the other hand she brushed the hair out of Gabrielle's eyes.

"What do you say we work off some of that lunch and go a couple of rounds with the staff," offered Xena.

"Well, we could do that," began Gabrielle. "Or I have another idea…" she continued as she began to nibble on the warrior's ear, gently working her way down her neck.

"Gabirelllllleeee…." Xena purred.

Gabrielle responded by pushing the warrior down on the blanket, enjoying the shivers of pleasure running down her spine.