Chapter Two: Down Roman Roads

Xena spent several minutes calming a quietly panicking Gabrielle, all while internally freaking out as well. How could years of the bard's memories disappear overnight? Why? What would she be like now? The lack of yelling worried Xena more than almost anything. Instead, there were tears and confusion, and Xena could only think to offer shushing, sympathetic noises and nonsense, and tea in response.

Eventually, she got Gabrielle dry-eyed, breathing normally, and sipping her cooling tea.

"Hey. Listen." Once Gabrielle's far-off gaze shifted to her, Xena offered a hand and was glad to, after a moment, receive one of Gabrielle's. "Do you feel okay, physically?"

A nod.

"And do you trust me, or did you before you woke up today?"

"Y-" she croaked, then cleared her throat. "Yes. You're my best friend."

Xena smiled. "Then trust me to get us through this. We'll figure it out."

A slow nod and a look of utter faith. Untested by Brittania, Chin, or any of their other big trials. Xena's heart twinged even as she appreciated the utility of it here.

"Okay. But… How much did I forget? How long have we been togeth- traveled together?"

"Ah… let's just say more than five years, less than fifty."

Green eyes peered at Xena in confusion and just a shadow of suspicion, and she sighed. "It's not as straightforward as you'd think. You've had a few… long sleeps."

"Like I hit my head? I… knew a farmer who got kicked by his horse and slept for five days, once. They had to drip water in his mouth, and he had a stutter when he woke up." The longest sentence she had spoken all morning.

"Not exactly." Without thinking, Xena kissed Gabrielle's fingers - and then watched the reaction with trepidation. Almost comically wide eyes, but no pulling back. Good. "We've had run-ins with some unusual magic. But I'd say you and I have spent about seven years with one another. Most of it as a couple."

"We are a couple." Not quite a question but certainly a request for affirmation.

Xena nodded. "We're married."

Gabrielle's expression grew dumbfounded, then fascinated. "Married?" she whispered.

Xena nodded and let go of her hand. "Look at the right side of your hip."

Gabrielle hesitated, then shook her head as if to clear it, probably remembering they bathed together all the time so there was no point being shy. Moving her shift and underwraps aside revealed a tattoo: The chakram or something similar to it, bisected by a quill. The writing tip sat in the foreground, hiding a bit of chakram, while the chakram hid part of the feather at the top. Delicate work, a little over half a palm wide.

"I have the same one." Xena proved it and let her partner stare from one hip to the other, mind clearly racing. "We thought about getting a permanent mehndi somewhere, but this seemed to better represent us, in this life."

Gabrielle resettled her clothes, and Xena did as well. "I've only seen tattoos on slaves before."

This spawned an ironic smile on the warrior. "If you're my slave, I'm yours, Gabrielle. But outside of Greece, people get tattoos for reasons other than slavery or showing they're part of a big-shot warlord's army. We liked the idea. Not that many other people see ours."

"I… believe you. Everything about this morning supports what you've said. But, Xena, I don't remember any of this."

"I know. It's all right. I don't expect you to… I don't expect anything from you. If you forgot as much as you say, you probably don't even like me much yet. Let's just get dressed, and we'll go from there."

"Okay." As they rolled up bedding together, though, she spoke again. "I do like you. As a- close friend. I've never met anyone like you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." They stowed their bedding. "Did you… like me, back then?"

Xena replied with a wry grin and a laugh. "Oh, I noticed your pretty face the first moment I saw you by that river. And when you punched that slaver, I was a goner. I just didn't know how screwed I was yet." She started scrounging in their bags for a quick breakfast.

"Really? I had no idea. You don't even… didn't even look at me much or touch me unless I was bleeding." She accepted some bread and an apple as amused eyes met her own.

"I had some self control, Gabrielle. And enough shame not to be a creep to a teenager who relied on me just because I liked the look of her." She took a moment to enjoy Gabrielle's smile, the first of the day. "Besides, I was too stubborn to realize how much I liked having you around, then."

"Well, then I don't mind admitting you were the prettiest woman I had ever seen. It distracts me, sometimes, even after living with you for weeks and weeks. I just didn't realize we could… or that any women could be married, ever."

With a rakish eyebrow raise, Xena asserted, "You and I do what we want." That got her a real chuckle, easily the best sound she'd heard all morning. She let the sound wash over her before clearing her throat and speaking again.

"Hey, you don't remember anything about a Mnemosyne temple, do you? Like maybe leaving a stone building in the middle of last night and coming back to bed?" Gabrielle was the one person so far inside Xena's defenses it was conceivable for her to have slipped in and out of their campsite and their furs in the dark woods - though only just. Maybe someone or something had lured her there?

Gabrielle shrugged. "Don't remember ever seeing a temple to Mnemosyne."

Xena sighed. "Well then I guess you don't know if we're near one, either, huh?"

"I don't know where we are at all."

"We're just southeast of Gaul - called Gallia now that Rome took it over. We're in old Roman territory. Spent some time wandering around Gallia after we left the far north. Ares and Aphrodite dropped us off across the water as a favor, but we wanted to stick around and check out the region without being in a rush to head up into the snow or back home to Greece."

Gabrielle nodded slowly, clearly not following the story thread at all. But then she blinked and shook her head. "Wait, Ares and Aphrodite? No, something's wrong with all this. Why are you working with Ares again?"

"You're right," Xena agreed amiably, "something was very wrong. With the world. We fixed it by working with those two flighty walnuts, and they were feeling nice after. So they gave us a ride."

"Sooo, no evil army this time."

"Nope."

Gabrielle sat in silence, then squinted at her. "...You're sure it's not Ares? He really seemed to have it out for you, last I remember."

After giving the question its due consideration, Xena explained, "Unlikely. To us these days, Ares is like... the brother who just might turn around and stab you one day, but it wouldn't be for no reason. And unless he thinks you forgetting stuff will make me declare war on Rome or something, this just isn't his style." Not to mention him probably having his hands full after so long without his powers.

"I… see." A troubled expression took up residence on Gabrielle's face.

Xena decided to plow forward. The need to take action to fix the problem made her twitchy. "Anyway, way I see it, we can continue on to the next town and ask if there's a Mnemosyne temple around, then go ask around there, or we can retrace our steps and see if I missed something that bit you in the ass." She looked at Gabrielle, who simply blinked.

"You... usually just tell me where we're going."

Xena sighed. "I guess I do." The more things change, the more they stay the same, huh? "Well, memories are Mnemosyne's thing, so that's a good start regardless. Let's go ask about her at the town. Judging by the old Roman road marker we saw yesterday, it should just be a few hours to get there."

Decision-making was not the last trial of the morning. Next came getting dressed.

"Where's the rest of this shirt?!" The shy amnesiac eventually wound up in a short, unadorned, sky blue chiton Gabrielle kept around for times when warrior attire wouldn't make a desirable impression. Of course Xena had to help her arrange and fasten the artfully draping fabric, stirring up a cascade of blushes even as she kept her face blank and her hands focused on the task. Gabrielle did at least smile after Xena wrapped her in a yellow palla with a flourish, in case she got cold.

And after all that, she had to lead Gabrielle's horse for her, the bard having forgotten how to ride.

The fuss finally over, Xena thought they were enjoying a restful silence until she glanced back to see a dejected look on Gabrielle's face. A long sigh wafted through her mind, but she managed to put some cheer in her tone. "Er… Beats walking through the woods, right? Horses on a Roman road? Not as fast as we'd usually ride, but we'll get to that town in no time. Might even catch a play if you're- we're lucky."

Gabrielle sighed aloud. "I don't mind walking. Sorry to slow you down, though…"

Crap. "Hey, then maybe we can take a break and run later. The horses will appreciate it, and we usually do something like that anyway."

Some interest finally shone in her face. "We run together?"

"Sure," Xena drawled, relieved. "Can't always find a horse in the middle of a job. Need to know how to run."

Seeing the slow nod, Xena pressed on with her momentum, "Hey why don't you tell me about your version of last night? Maybe it'll help. What's the last thing you remember?"

"Like I said, it was pretty boring. You found us food while I made a firepit, and I put together a rabbit stew while you did your sword stuff and rubbed down Argo. We found a stream that wasn't big enough to soak in, so we used linen to wash up, and then we just… ate and sat around until we were ready to sleep."

It sounded like any one of hundreds of evenings of theirs, out on the road.

A small smile teased at Gabrielle's lips. "You… said I was getting better at cooking rabbit. But I think it was the greens you found that helped more. Anyway, that was the most unusual thing, honest. Comfortable temperature, no rain, no bandits, nothing."

Xena grunted and thought about how awfully clear the memory was, for something that happened so many years ago.

"How about you? What do you remember about yesterday? You already told me about… uh, the end of the night, but that's it."

"Weeell," Xena drawled, ordering her thoughts, "I'd better start with the day before."

Around midmorning they had arrived at a village in an uproar. Xena practically had to lasso a stable boy to make him stand still and sell space for their steeds, and before that, they saw the innkeeper slam the door behind him on his way to the center of town. So there wasn't much to be done but stash their belongings with their horses and follow along.

On a platform in the town square, a middle-aged, rangy Roman man wearing official-looking robes stared in fury as four guards wrestled two tousled-looking men out of a side-street and to their knees. Both wore trousers with large patches and were young, with dark, wavy hair and largish, straight noses, but when they laid eyes on what must have been the town's administrator, one ceased his desperate search for help among the jeering crowd and settled into pained confusion.

"Dagomaros and Katurix," roared the graying administrator, "by the power vested in me by the great Roman empire, I, Livius, accuse you of theft the likes of which this town has never seen except at the point of a spear! This hammer," he hefted a nondescript tool that nonetheless made the prisoners gape, "left in my own home shows that, in the dark of night, you broke in and took your pick among my property. I and mine extended the hand of friendship to you, and you used it to fatten your own purses."

"Gallic boys," Xena muttered to Gabrielle, who nodded absently. She tugged on Xena's elbow to draw her attention to a young woman in another part of the crowd who had dark, wavy hair, a brow somewhat similar to the ones on the accused men, and her hands bunched up in front of her mouth.

She was clearly distraught whereas the rest of the crowd ranged from disgruntled to gleeful. No words necessary, Xena gave a short nod, and they threaded their way over to her.

As they did, the administrator finished waxing poetic about the betrayal of the alleged theft, announced that a trial would be held the following morning, and had the accused dragged to a holding cell somewhere. The show over, most everyone burst into speculation with the people next to them, some of whom had apparently always known what snakes the Gallic men were, and others who simpered about the poor, trusting administrator's family. It drove the dark-haired woman to whirl away, sturdy tunic billowing with the motion, and Xena and Gabrielle had to jog to catch her.

"Hey! Excuse me," Gabrielle said as she laid a hand on the woman's arm. After making eye contact, she smiled and continued. "I'm Gabrielle, and this is Xena."

"Hey," offered Xena.

The woman stared, green eyes showing suspicion through unshed tears. She sniffed. "What do you want?"

"Well, we just got to town, and we couldn't help but notice what was going on. What's your name?"

"...Manta."

"Were those your brothers up there, Manta?"

"Yes. What's it to you?" She eyed the sword hilt over Xena's shoulder and gave both women a thorough once-over.

Xena spoke up, "In my experience, it's a little too easy for towns to blame the latest crime on whoever wasn't born there. Doesn't make it true. And I don't see too many criminals looking as confused as you three just did."

Gabrielle nodded. "We're very nosy travelers. Seen a lot. Though not much of anything more theatrical than old Livius' performance up there. Yikes."

"We'd like to help if we can."

Now fully facing the pair, Manta seemed to relax. "Well. Come home with me for a little while? I don't know what to do. Maybe talking it out with you will help me. At least it can't make it worse." She led them to a two-room cottage on the edge of town where Xena noticed a covered cart parked around the side. The three of them went inside and sat in sturdy wooden chairs around a bulky, scarred table.

"My brothers are innocent," Manta stated right away.

"How do you know?" asked Xena without insinuation. "Where were you when it happened?"

"I… wasn't here," she admitted. "I went to buy nails and things from the next town, where metal is cheaper. Made it home this morning. But they're still innocent. Katu probably left that hammer behind when he was working on their fence yesterday. I know my brothers better than any strangers in my home."

"Easy, Manta. I just want to get the facts straight. Like I said, none of you looked like hardened criminals to me, and for that matter I don't see any stolen goods around here." Xena glanced around the spare living space with its hearth, thick fur rugs, folded-up sleeping pallet, and table set. Cooking utensils, food, and miscellaneous tools hung from hooks or rested neatly on the few shelves. "Do your brothers sleep in the other room?"

"Yes. Why?"

Xena got up to have a peek and found two more sleeping pallets beside boxes and shelves of nails, wood, undyed linen, and various other things that wouldn't be worth stealing from the richest man in town. The lone storage chest stood carelessly open, the clothes haphazardly riffled through by some sleepy occupant. No signs that guardsmen had tossed the place looking for anything. She ignored Manta's hostile glare as she sat back down. "Thanks. Now, tell us about yourselves. How did three Gauls end up in this town, and what else is going on here?"

Manta stared at her, and Gabrielle gave her the dryest look before laying a cautious hand on Manta's forearm.

"I know you don't exactly trust us, but my friend here, while extremely rude, is also very smart. The more you can tell us, the better chance we have of helping you." She gave her most confident-yet-comforting smile.

And after taking a few breaths, Manta indeed spoke. "Dago, Katu, and I moved here about six years ago. Our mother died, and we just… wanted to leave where we were. Old Rome seemed as different as we could get without crossing water, so we went southeast. The area was peaceful at the time, and no one minded three quiet, scrawny teenagers. We made a life for ourselves here erecting and repairing buildings."

"Honest work," commented Gabrielle. "No wonder they let you stay."

"It is! And we do a good job. We helped families build half the houses on this street, and our roof repair is so good, we could almost put ourselves out of business. But even when no one needs a new house, there are always folks wanting other repairs and, sometimes, additions. Like Livius."

Gabrielle asked, "The administrator? You work on his property?"

"Now I wish we'd let that residence fall down around his ears, but yes. It's big, and gated, up on a little plateau up the next hill. His family took it over from an elderly administrator last year, and he decided to spend some money repairing and building onto it. It was great. We have enough money, now, we're going to expand this place again soon, or we were…"

While Gabrielle patted the woman's shoulder, Xena gently asked, "Did anything else happen between you three and Livius?"

"Not between us, but… between Dago and Livius' daughter, Lucilla, maybe."

"Oh, boy," sighed Gabrielle while Xena groaned internally. "Tell me no one's pregnant."

Manta looked scandalized. "Of course not! We all got friendly with Lucilla; he's just… moreso. I think. She's curious about how things are constructed, and most of the staff up there is nice enough and will keep us company while we work, but she's there most of all, and Dago… but with the staff around, and us only up there during daylight, they're never even alone. As far as I know."

Gabrielle asked, "Have you seen Lucilla today?"

"No, I haven't seen her since before I left town. I bet Livius kept her home, what with him arresting her friends."

"And it's a gated residence? Fenced all around?"

"Not along the back, where it runs against the hillside, and not around their vineyards, but otherwise yes, the main house area and outbuildings are fenced in."

Xena didn't get the sense the woman was lying, but she clearly didn't know everything and probably had some erroneous assumptions. And there was no point agitating her by prodding about it. They needed a lot more information, and the trial was still tomorrow. So they set about making a plan.

They would split up. Xena got directions to the administrative building, with its single jail cell, and set out to speak to Dagomaros and Katurix. Gabrielle would go talk to Lucilla, and Manta would fetch their belongings from the stable and listen for any scuttlebutt she could while otherwise staying close to her home, which would be their base of operations.

"Why wouldn't Manta go talk to Lucilla? I thought they were friends." Gabrielle stared at Xena in fascination as they both rode along on horseback. This was the longest she had ever, ever heard Xena speak, and though her storytelling technique could use work ("Some histrionic Roman administrator was yammering on, accusing a pair of Gallic boys of stealing somethin' - apparently not his giant ego - when you pegged their big sister at a hundred paces. We had to pull the traveling heroes bit to get her to talk, but-"), the content sent her imagination soaring. Actually getting to hear so much of Xena's perspective at once almost made Gabrielle forget how much her rear end was going to hurt after sitting in a saddle all day when she had no idea how.

At least Xena had re-taught her the basics of handling the easygoing, rust-colored gelding, and she wasn't being led like a child at a fair anymore.

"Manta figured they wouldn't want to see her at the residence, and I think she was right. The place was pretty closed off on a normal day, much less that one."

"Then how did I talk to Lucilla? Or did I?"

"You did, but I dunno how. Swindled your way in with some costume. We were trying not to get caught meddling at the residence, and I didn't see you until much later."

"You just… trusted me to figure it out?"

Xena gave her a dull look. "Gabrielle, you're my partner, not my camp grunt. You'd been doing this for years by then."

Just as Gabrielle felt the pride of that warm her through, Xena raised her voice in a bit of a rant. "And as much as you like me to come up with every single plan, you really don't need it. I swear you're smarter when you're nowhere near me, because if you weren't, you'd be dead."

"Uh." Gabrielle struggled with what to say. "I... can't exactly defend myself here."

Xena just sighed and continued the story. "Anyway, they wouldn't let anyone in to see the brothers, so I broke in the back. Faster than concocting some justice narrative about a fair trial I knew they wouldn't give a spit about. Unfortunately, Dago and Katu knew about as much as Manta, or so they told me. They'd been dragged off by the guards on the way home from buying goat's milk or something at a farm. Only heard about the theft then."

"Jail before breakfast. That's no fun."

"Nope. They were both fired up about Livius, though. Loverboy said Lucilla had been steered away from him lately, kept busy with nonsense tasks while he was around, that sort of thing. Figured her dad got a bug up his butt about him. Anyway, after that you weren't back yet, and Manta didn't have anything useful to tell me, so I left to sniff out more clues. But I'm tired of talking. Want to run a little while?"

"Sure!"

End Notes: In case it wasn't clear, this Gabrielle comes from the time after S1:E7, "The Titans," and the older Gabrielle currently hanging out with the Xena of that time comes from the time after S6:E13, "You Are There."