Gabrielle of Potedia, battling bard and now former Queen of the Amazon Nation ruled fair and true. She had taken the right of cast seriously, and her rule was the most prosperous the Amazon women had ever had. Unbeknownst to the fair woman, her Queenship would be known as the golden age, and the nation would take her implemented laws and continue to thrive for generations to come.
This was her farewell and Amazons from the surrounding areas filtered in for the ceremonies and changing of power to the new Queen Ephiny. Most of the formal rites and practices went on behind closed doors, the taking of the sacred herb and decorative painting of the new Queen so she could be purified in the light of mother moon. Ritual dances were performed, and oaths were spoken in ancient tongues. By the time the celebration started, it had taken a few days time to maneuver the ceremonies and Gabrielle was exhausted.
She sat at the back table with her warrior princess, and several close friends, and watched her former subjects celebrate their new leader with dancing, drink, and much food. Gabrielle ate her fill and was leaning back against her warrior and listened to the women around her, share stories of her rule.
This was the beginning of her lore that would be immortalized in Amazon history, and she felt the weight of its importance. She knew they would flourish even without her, they were strong and competent, and the new Queen had been moulded by herself into a smart, level-headed leader.
Yet she still felt the loss. What would she do in this new world? How different would it be? Would Xena be happy there? She'd been so confident of this course of action until it was time to place the ceremonial mask into her friend's hands. Doubt crept into her heart.
Fear.
The unknown was frightening, but as she sat here watching her love destroy three-quarters of a turkey, she knew that as long as she was with this woman, it didn't matter where they were.
The platinum blonde to Gabrielle's right tapped her on the shoulder pulling her from her musings.
"They are about to start," the Amazon announced with a giant smile and stood up to join the crowd that was gathering around the center of the arena.
"Right behind you Cyane!" she called and urged her warrior princess to put down her fork with a promise they wouldn't be long.
The bard wormed her way through the tightly packed leather-clad women, her warrior in tow until she got a position where her shorter stature could see the events.
The large area was cleared, and several of her sisters were all dressed in thick ancestral garb. The women were seemingly cumbersome and slow under the heavy leather outfits. Their movements were both chaotic yet symmetrical as they moved about the inner circle. The slow beat of the drums began to pick up speed readily and as they did the women started to shed bits and pieces of their costumes.
As the thick leather fell to the outside of the circle, the women began to gain cohesion, working as a group rather than each one seemingly doing their own thing. The dancers ebbed and flowed with the beat of the drum, and the women started to chant as they contorted their bodies around one another. They still seemed to be each doing their own dance, some of them were sparring randomly with each other, and as the music picked up, they dropped their burdens behind.
Once the drums reached a fevered pitch, they stopped dead as did the women dancers. Silence blanketed the area as enamored eyes feasted on the still lifeless bodies of the Amazon dancers that all fell to the ground. A lone woman was lifted from the center of the bodies from seemingly thin air. She carried a staff weapon and was masked in a replica of the ceremonial Queen's headdress. A yellow cornsilk wig adorned the young Queen, and she walked around the bodies of the Amazon dancers and lifted them, each, one at a time as the drum slowly beat on.
When all of the dancers were back on their feet, they circled the blonde Queen, lifting swords and pledging their allegiances to her. The mock Queen pantomimed her humble beginning, not accepting the admiration of the women she single-handedly saved, but the dancers were adamant. They started to dance and contort their bodies in unison, chanting songs of old in honor of their Queen.
Finally, their armor had all been stripped down, and each of the dancers wore a thin belt with matching modesty garment that barely covered her sex. The blonde was hesitant in accepting their admiration, and the women dancers bowed to their Queen, united.
Gabrielle was startled when a large mask covered barbarian pushed their way past her, and she was alarmed for but a moment when she saw several other masked beasts enter the circle and begin the choreographed attack on the armorless amazons.
The women tried to pull the Queen to safety, but she instead stood before her subjects in the line of fire holding her staff weapon out and dropping it to the ground as if to signify the line in the sand. "No one shall pass!" the Queen roared and then punched the ground.
As soon as the masked Queen's fist made contact with the dirt, the barbarians, in waved succession, were all knocked off their feet. The dancers lifted their leader in victory as their great protector, and they celebrated in unified dance.
Xena put her arm around her bard who stood and watched the singing women and whispered into her ear, "You made a difference here Gabrielle. I can't wait to see what you do next."
"You and me both," the blonde replied absently.
Emma hadn't seen Regina since that morning when they fought, and she was feeling anxious about having a confrontation during the celebration. She knew the Mayor was one to hold a grudge as if it were any big secret, and she figured things wouldn't be resolved until they faced one another.
She smoothed her sweaty palms together and shook them in the air to dry them off a bit. She squinted as she scanned the rather large crowd of women, having lost her contacts after their first night in this realm, looking for one particular brunette. She noticed Magdalus first; the tall, dark woman held a presence that was unmistakable even in Emma's slightly fuzzy view of the world. The Mayor was standing next to the healer looking a little more than uncomfortable with the size and consequent rowdiness of the party goers.
Regina was wearing a very flattering dress to Emma's own, surely by Maggie's urging and the woman looked stunning. Not that there has ever been a time Emma thought otherwise. The dark gray knee-length gown hugged the Mayor in all the right places and billowed out around the woman's hips. Emma felt the draw of her attraction almost immediately, and as her heart quickened and mouth dried, she made her way over to her Queen.
"Regina? You look, beautiful." Emma's shy smile did nothing to hide the lustful eyes she suddenly had for the Queen. There wasn't a moment where Emma made a decision to start looking at the Mayor in such a way, but her time in the last month has created a perfect storm which allowed her to appreciate her son's mother's abundant attributes.
Regina was startled by the Sheriff's sudden appearance, she was keeping an eye out for the taller blonde and didn't notice the woman cut through the crowd of warriors to stand next to her. Her dark eyes raked down over the Savior's dress, resting a little too long on the her bare hip as she wondered if the woman had on undergarments or not. Her cheeks pinkened a little when her eyes finally met Emma's, and she realized she had been caught looking, She cleared her throat and slipped on her mask of indifference suddenly remembering she was supposed to be angry with the Savior.
"Thank you, Miss Swan." Brown eyes side glanced the Savior's form a few more times in quick succession before Regina returned the compliment, "You clean up well yourself Sheriff."
Emma stood awkwardly for a few moments before she finally talked herself up enough to address the elephant in the room. "Look I'm sorry about the stuff that happened this morning. I-I didn't handle things right I guess. I..."
"We don't need to talk about it, Miss Swan." Regina held firm to her icy stance, and Emma knew there wasn't going to be an easy way to get through this.
"No. Not while we are back to Miss Swanning me, clearly we need to talk, Regina."
"Now is not the time!" Danger flashed in the dark eyes of the Mayor and from experience Emma should have known to back off the volatile Queen, but she was shut out all day and like it or not, she was going to be heard.
"I'm sorry."
"Stop."
Emma shook her head, "No. I'm sorry I didn't believe that our friendship could recover if you knew the truth."
The Mayor gritted her teeth and took a threatening step forward, "Miss Swan you will cease this conversation immediately or so help me…"
Emma held her ground, never one to back down from the Mayor, even when all sense and reason told her she ought to. "Or what? You'll punish me?"
The Queen's upper lip curled into a snarl and Emma leapt into the unknown and admitted, "I was scared! Okay? I panicked because I can't lose you again!"
Both women stood silent for several long moments, eyes locked in an intense staredown they were both familiar with, but before either of them could speak next, the clearing of a throat broke the spell they had seemingly put over one another. "Sheriff?" A warm tentative hand was placed on Emma's shoulder, and she turned to face the unknowing intruder.
"Solari?" Emma asked surprised to find other people existed in the world after staring into the abyss of Regina Mills' eyes.
"Emma," the awkward smile of the warrior sent warning bells off in Emma's head, but she was frozen in place to suffer the question that was shyly asked. "I was wondering if you'd like to dance with me? I can show you some of our customary dance moves?" The dark amazon usually held the confidence and poise of the warrior she was, but at this moment she looked every bit the shy awkward girl she was in the face of possible rejection.
"I-" Emma stammered as her brain struggled to regain footing, but managed to remain completely blank. With her attention focused on letting this muscle-bound warrior down gently, Emma hadn't noticed the brunette she wanted to dance with sleek off into the crowd.
Emma took a deep breath when she saw the girl's hopes start to fall just a little and she pulled herself together. "I'm here with-" Emma turned and noticed Regina was long gone and she cursed under her breath. "I... what I mean is, I'm flattered Solari, but I um… maybe later?" The Savior chickened out, but the disappointment in the warrior's eyes told her she got the message loud and clear.
Panic settled in the blonde as the healer's words came back to her and she cursed under her breath once again, "I'm sorry Solari, I need to go!" Emma said and made her way through the crowd in the only direction she could think the Mayor would go.
The Savior was pushing her, which wasn't unusual for the blonde, but right now she did not want to be pushed.
I panicked because I can't lose you again!
Normally their concern for one another was blamed on their mutual love for their shared son. That they were doing this or that for his benefit solely. She knew the game; she played it well. This, however, was decidedly not that. It was a need, based only in self-preservation. I can't lose you were the words she said. They were the words she chose when any number of reasons could have been stated to adhere to their working protocol of expressing fondness for one another.
But she didn't. She said she couldn't lose me.
And those eyes. She meant those words. Fear was plainly seen.
I know fear. I cause fear. I know what it looks like, unsaid reflected in a person's eyes.
I specifically know that fear. The fear of losing this irritating blonde. That fear has gripped me on more than one occasion, and it isn't pleasant. It has made me do irrational things.
An unfamiliar voice sounded out and broke Regina from her inner musings, "Sheriff?"
The Savior answered, "Solari?"
Emma knew this girl? Of course. This was the girl who brought the Savior home semiconscious and grief-stricken.
"Emma," The soft, demure sound that created the name of the Savior settled within the Mayor's gut like a chilled stone, and it took all of the control she had not to grab the blonde that stood facing away from her and pull her back to attention. Back to what was supposed to be important.
She will never be as important...
Once again, the Savior's attention was on muscular shoulders, and dark, brooding features and Regina could feel the jealous barbs wind their way around her. She turned from the scene and fled. Leaving the pure of heart Sheriff to her dalliances with whatever Amazon warrior sought her fancy.
She will never see me.
She pushed her way through the crowd, back toward the safety and quiet of her hut. The hut she shared with Emma, but she mused the blonde wouldn't be back for hours.
If at all.
She heard her name faintly, but it was drowned out by the beating drums and the roar of the crowd, and she just assumed she imagined it.
Everything that Magdalus said that afternoon piled onto her and the weight of it ignited her anger. She knew better than to listen to others, people who didn't know. Sure she could see how the healer came to some of the conclusions she did, but in the end, she knew Emma Swan. Really knew her. She knew what their relationship was and what it was not. Any and all thoughts to the contrary was foolish drivel conjured up by an imaginative, yet delusional, meddling old woman!